Fun and Games
by AndersenYuki4404
Summary: It's all Fun and Games until someone gets hurt. Aster is startled after Sartorius confesses his love to him. This confession pushes Aster towards Zane, who's not sure how to react. Is he in love with him? Aster/Zane
1. fun

Fun and Games

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Yu-gi-oh gx; I do own my own characters though.

Summery: It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. After a strange moment with Sartorius, Aster sees a side of Zane he's never seen before

Chapter 1: Fun

**Aster's POV**

So there it was, out in the open for the whole word to hear. It rocked my world in the most unsettling of ways. I felt the appetizers I had swallowed not even ten minutes ago crawl back up my throat. This guy was like my brother … yet, Sartorius had just revealed his secret desire for me.

"Aster?" He said, gagging my response slowly. I could tell he wasn't happy with what he was seeing, well I wasn't happy with what I was hearing – we're even. "You're mad at me."

I corrected him. "I'm not mad… I'm just … shocked …How long have you felt this way?" I asked him. He turned his eyes to the floor. A long time, that's just great. If he could have held them in this long, why break it to me now? At this party where anyone could hear him? Besides him and a few other select group of people, no one knew I was gay yet. I'm not embarrassed by my sexual status. My motto in life is that people can take me as I am, or go to hell. But Sartorius had advised me that since people had mixed feelings about the subject, I should follow a 'don't ask, don't tell policy'. Well, gee, telling me that you loved me at an over-crowed party wasn't exactly 'don't tell' was it?

"Since we were children …" He finally answered. He kept looking down at that damn floor. I felt kind of bad, he had put a lot on the line for this and I couldn't give him the answer he wanted. I loved Sartorius too, but not as a lover. He was my best-friend – I couldn't live without him, but I didn't want to be with him romantically.

Suddenly, I was lost. Aster Phoenix lost? That's a new one. I just didn't know what to tell him. So, I just said the first words that came to mind. "I'm sorry." I'm sorry I didn't love you … I walked past him; I didn't dare to look back at him. I would look in his eyes, and my heart would start aching knowing the pain I had just put my best friend through. So I skipped a step and just let the guilt take over.

Tonight, we were suppose to celebrate. It was the start of the new proleague season, not only that, but it was the night before my birthday. My eighteenth to be exact. Maybe that was why he told me tonight. Because tomorrow I would be of legal age and there for able to date him. Now it seemed like I had little or nothing to celebrate for.

And how could this night get any worse? I'll tell you how – Zane Truesdale.

"Well, well, someone's looking a little pissed." Zane began. He was leaning against the wall, drinking red wine. He looked too confident for his own good, even after his absence from the proleagues do to a heart-problem. "What's wrong, Phoenix?"

I snorted. "Besides the fact you're talking to me, none of your business." He frowned. A part of me was sad to see his smile fade. I liked his smile, perhaps more then I should have. Zane and I had once worked together, but afterwards, our friendship had pretty much became a competition. One of us was the best duelist, but whom?

Zane smirked. "Well, you keep looking that way and it's going to be everybody's business. I can read you like a book." I kept my composure on the outside, but on the inside, I was crumbling. I was sure I wasn't as readable as Zane led on, however, he still knew. What was worse then your enemy knowing what bothered you? Nothing. Zane sighed, perhaps realizing just how much this all was bothering me. "Hey, where's your drink?" He asked.

I had left it back on a table when I left the 'friendly' conversation I was having with Sartorius. I wasn't about to go back and get it. I didn't want to go back and run into Sartorius, to have him take back the conversation and deny feelings that could no longer be denied for the sake of our friendship. The damage had been done; and I wasn't ready for damage control.

"I was my way to get another one." I lied, Zane saw through that too. But to my surprise, he didn't question it. He gestured to the bar.

"I'll buy you one." Zane said, my eyebrows flew up in surprise. We were competitors first, enemies second, and friends third. Honestly, we weren't really close friends. Sure, I had been stuck in an alternate dimension with him (try saying that out loud and not get stared at.) And we had a mutual friend in Jaden, but Zane buying me a drink? That was something he had never done for me.

I followed him to the bar, though. Hey, if I get a free drink out of it, what's the harm?

"What do you want?" Zane asked. I shrugged.

"Soda." I responded. He raised one eyebrow up at me; I would have laughed at the gesture. He looked weird, yet somehow … I don't know, sexy? Then again, being attractive was something Zane had mastered years ago. His blue that fell hard on his shoulders, his teal eyes 

that turned like a crystal ball. He was wearing a blue turtle neck, just tight enough to reveal his stomach muscles, with a modest suit jacket and pants. He was very attractive – you pretty much had to be in this business. Now, back to the drink order. "You know, I'm under aged."

"As far as I'm concerned if you're old enough to join the army, you're old enough to drink." He responded.

"I'm not turning eighteen till tomorrow." I muttered.

Zane smiled slightly. "Well, happy birthday, your getting wine." He said, turning to give the bartender my order. She didn't dare ask for an I.D. She was back with my red wine in a matter of seconds. It may surprise you to hear this, but I've never actually drank any alcohol before. I had worked to hard for my reputation to do something stupid like get caught under aged drinking. However, I had just been told by my best-friend that he loved me. I picked up the drink and sipped it, letting it fly down my throat. The taste was almost bitter-sweet, I didn't know if I liked it or not. "So, Phoenix, what's got you all freaked out?"

I pulled the wine glass away from my lips. "Was this your plan? To get me drunk so I'd tell you?"

"There are worse things I could do while you're drunk." Zane suggested. I merely glared at him and took another drink of my wine. Finally, I was relaxing, if only for a little bit. "Easy kid, enjoy it."

I finished off the glass and set it on the counter. "I need another one …" I was planning on paying but Zane was the one who nodded to the Bartender. "And who are you calling kid? I may be younger then you, but who's been in the leagues longer?"

"You just said it yourself … Your only seventeen." He said. The bartender set down another wine glass. I picked it up.

"Until tomorrow … Then we'll see who the kid is …" I took a huge drink of my glass. Zane semi-laughed.

"I'll still be three years older then you. I can call you kid for the rest my life." Though his statement was true, I chose to ignore it. I felt more relaxed by the minute. I finished this wine, and then the next. My mind felt really light, almost free. Was this what it was like to get drunk?

Then, I started rambling.

"You ever have a friend tell you something you didn't want to hear?" I said, my words almost slurring as they came out. You could understand me clearly, yet it was obvious I wasn't at my full game … yup, I was defiantly drunk.

"I might be having one of those moments now." Zane joked. I laughed with him and then drank more of the wine he bought me. Zane took my glass away. "I think you've had enough."

I took the loss with good faith and continued. "I mean, it's practically incest! Isn't that illegal? Seriously, is it? I just … I just wish he'd had thought this through."

Zane raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you should start from the beginning."

Had I been stable minded, I might have seen this as a trap. That what it was really. Zane wasn't interested in my welfare exactly, but was curious as to what had gotten me so down. I wasn't stable minded, though. For the first time in my life, I was drunk off my ass. So I gave him the information he wanted without even realizing it.

"Sartorius told me he loved me."

**Zane's POV**

It was fortunate he was too drunk to notice my frown. Though he'd never know it, I was angry. How dare Sartorius wonder on what's mine, my Aster. It was true – I had some kind of obsession with this silver-haired duelist. I had so many reasons to hate him – but for every reason I had to hate him, I had another to like him. Not to be cliché, but no matter how wrong it seemed, it felt so right.

He suddenly grabbed my sleeve, as if to balance himself. "I don't feel too well …" He said in a light, slurring voice. I hadn't meant to get him drunk, I was just going to buy him a drink, and somehow, I ended up buying him four. This little love confession must really have him on edge. I can't really blame him. It was like if Syrus had come up to me and told me he had romantic feelings for me … Creepy, weird, and extremely uncalled for. Anyway, I had a bad feeling that if I didn't get him out of this party, he was going to get sick everywhere. What ruins a dueling career more then a bad bout of puking? Not much.

I paid for the drinks and dragged him through the party. I had the valet get my car, he was leaning against the wall, finding that the only way to remain stable. Good god, he was a light drinker.

Finally my black Mercedes pulled up and I put Aster in the front passenger side, with me in the driver's side. I had only drank half a glass of wine, I was good to drive.

"Aster, where do you live?" I asked him. He looked up to his bangs, leaning his head back on the seat. He stayed like that for a minute or so and gave me a shrug.

"I don't know, is it normal to be this dizzy?" He asked. Well, isn't he just an adorable drunk?

I growled. "Phoenix, if you spew in this car, I will kick your ass."

"Hey, don't yell at me!" Aster snapped back. He almost sounded upset, his tone made me feel bad about snapping at him. I was just frustrated. I didn't know where he lived – hell, I might have a crush on him, but I wasn't like his fan girls who knew every little thing about him. So, I couldn't take him home, and it would be a mistake to take him to a hotel where the paparazzi could get a good picture of this really embarrassing moment. My place was the only option. At least until he was sober.

My penthouse was on the top floor of the building. When I opened the door, he ran for my bathroom, almost tripping along the way. He slammed the door shut. I slammed down on the couch. What did I get myself in to? Damn him, damn Sartorius, and Damn me. Why did I have to get involved in his business? Why did I care about what happened to him?

Oh yeah, the whole crush thing. That had started right after I dueled him – I was determined to destroy him after what he did to me. Then, I started seeing him as a worthy opponent … the one person who could truly beat me. Then after the whole other dimension thing, I had started seeing him as more then that. On the outside, he was stubborn and arrogant, like me. Only he was like a little boy, always wanting to prove his manliness and bravery. However, on the inside, he was all truth. He was as brave and powerful as he led you to believe. He stood behind his attitude, and be damned to those who didn't like it. I had thought I was the 

only one who was like that. I was surprised to find someone who wasn't a poser. Someone who was all true.

He emerged from the bathroom, wiping his mouth as he walked over. He sat right next to me, looking down to the ground.

"You hate me, don't you?" He asked. I was shocked by what he had said. I mean, I never gave him any hints that we were friends, but I never really said I hated him either, what had brought this all on? "You were trying to be nice, and I ruined it all!" He grabbed my arm, I raised my eyebrow and he brought his head to my arm. Oh right, he was drunk. This was all an effect of not being able to hold his alcohol. I was somewhat relieved. It was interesting to see Aster so venerable, but he seemed too out of character for him.

"I don't hate you Aster …" I finally said. He looked up at me with his big blue eyes.

"You don't?" He asked. I shook my head.

"Nope."

I felt his hand move to the hem of my suit. He was now at equal level with my face.

"How do you feel about me, then?" He asked, the alcohol coming off his breath. I didn't get a chance to answer. He pressed his lips against mine. I tasted the wine, but I tasted more too. A sweet, minty, apple taste I think it was. I had never tasted anything like this before. I leaned into the kiss, moving his lips against mine. I broke the kiss to catch my breath … it was a small kiss, but it had lasted minutes. I was about to go for another when suddenly, I felt a thump against my shoulder.

"He's asleep?" I asked myself. Aster's blue eyes were closed and he was breathing In and out lightly. I can't believe it – he kisses me and then falls asleep on me? Then I remember why he's at my apartment – he's so drunk he forgot where he lived. He didn't control his actions at the moment. The kiss meant nothing, it was just drunken kiss, and I had gotten into it. Well, this was awkward.

Still, I couldn't help but smile at the sight of Aster sleeping. His face was calm, relaxed. It was a pleasant change. Aster was always on guard, like he was ready for an attack, any attack. It didn't surprise me since his father had practically been murdered (by his legal guardian). D had caused Aster so much pain, and the little insecurity he had. That basturd deserved what he got.

I softly lay Aster on the couch. I took off his shoes, as well as the black vest he had worn to the party. His phone started vibrating in his pocket – it was Sartorius calling. I stared at the caller i.d., Aster needed to go home, but did he have to go now? Sartorius had been the start of all this and it was obvious Aster wasn't ready to talk to him yet, even if he were in the condition to do so. I answered the phone, and walked into my bedroom.

"He's safe." I told him. I heard a relieved sigh before he questioned me.

"Who are you? What have you done with him? Where is he?" He asked. I tried not to lay into him that would reveal my crush on the boy. The lingering of the kiss shook me for a minute before I answered.

"It's Zane, I found him wondering at the party, he got drunk, and I had to bring him here." I told him. Suddenly, the relief turned to fury. Now Sartorius wanted to lay into me.

"What the hell?! How could you do this?! I'm coming to get him right now!"

"He's sleeping on my couch, and I think you're the last person he needs to see right now." I snapped back. That had shut him up. I didn't like getting yelled at, especially when it was for something I had no power over. "Tomorrow morning, I'll get him over his hang-over, feed him some breakfast and take him back home."

"Tomorrow is his birthday." Sartorius answered.

I sighed. "Well, I guess you should have thought of that before you confessed your love for him, shouldn't you have? He'll come back home when he's good and ready, until then … He's staying with me." I hung up the phone and put it with his vest and shoes. I put them all on my bedroom dresser. It didn't seem right that Aster was on the couch. I walked out there and tried to pick him up but he would squirm and push me away. I gave up, if he wanted to sleep on the couch, hey go right ahead. I did take a blanket and pillow and put the pillow under his head and the blanket around him.

I sighed as I looked over him one last time. I wondered if he always looked this calm when he slept or if it was just the wine.

Hey, here's the first chapter of Fun and Games. I've wanted to write an Aster/Zane story for a really long time now. Hope you guys like it, please review!


	2. something to eat

Fun and Games

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Yu-gi-oh gx; I do own my own characters though.

Summery: It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. After a strange moment with Sartorius, Aster sees a side of Zane he's never seen before

Chapter 2: Something to eat.

**Aster's POV**

The next morning I shifted in my bed – only to find it wasn't my bed. It felt like the couch, but I wasn't sure. My eyes opened slowly in harmony with a killer headache I gently moved my hand to my head. I slightly remembered going on a drinking binge last night … happy birthday, me.

After I came to the conclusion that lying on the couch would not get rid of this massive headache, I got up and moved to the bathroom. I splashed some water in my face to wake myself up. I paused …

This isn't my bathroom. Mine wasn't this … ordinary … I walked back out into the other room, what should have been the media room, was now the living room. I walked over to the window and opened a curtain; that was a mistake. Not only did I get a ray of sunshine in my face, but I also got a good view of the city above me. It was an unwelcomed surprise when you're in someone else's house and hung-over.

"Sleeping beauty awakes." I turned suddenly, oh no … There is no way my luck is this bad on my birthday. It was Zane Truesdale, not only him, but him in a lone t-shirt and boxers holding a coffee. Huh, why should I be surprised to find that Zane wears black boxers? Why should I be looking?

"Do you mind?" I commented, walking back over to the couch. "I'm having a major nightmare right now and I'd like to wake up from it."

He walked over and patted my shoulder. "Happy birthday, Aster …. This isn't a nightmare." I grimaced as soon as he said that. Yeah, right … happy birthday. "Do you remember what happened?"

"I remember everything before the wine … unfortunately. I remember you bought my…. _You!_" I shouted with realization. He was the one who had bought my drink! He had gotten me drunk. I would kill him if anything embarrassing had happen well I was drunk.

Zane frowned at my accusation … no, my confrontation. "_I _was trying to help you after your spazz-mantic attack, and instead I got a light-weight drunk, who almost threw up in my car, but managed to keep it in until he reached my bathroom floor, and then fell asleep on my couch. So don't even try to blame any of this on me!" The yelling did nothing for my headache. I flopped back down on the couch. He was right. I did feel a little better after everything, even if I felt horrible now. I should have been thanking Zane, not flashing accusations at him. Zane sighed; he knew I had sent him a mental apology. He had accepted it and walked away.

I lay back on the couch, trying to get rid of the nausea and pain. I suddenly heard water dripping at an extremely fast rate. Zane was taking a shower. I closed my eyes, letting the sound of falling water calm me. I saw a water fall in my mind, a calming, beautiful waterfall. Suddenly another thought entered my head. Zane was under that waterfall. Closing his beautiful teal eyes as he embraced the water on his naked body. His blue hair stuck to his face as the water drenched it. His skin had never looked so pale – white and blue integrated together, creating something so beautiful, so sexy I could help but drool at the thought. I also got a good look at his body … 

gorgeous. His shoulders wide and broad, his skin moved flawlessly as he moved his arm. He had no lacking skin on his stomach, each of his muscles filled his belly making strong and firm. I was shuddering at the sight. The moment I looked any lower, I would lose control, and I knew it … I continued anyway.

My eyes flew open. A new spike of adrenaline had spiked through me. My headache returned, but with less force then earlier. My breathing had begun to slow down again, but I hadn't noticed it had gone up in the first place. Did … Did I just have a peep-show dream of Zane Truesdale? I had never had a vision like that, not about him, not about anyone. Sartorius and his sister, Sirena had always commented how unusual it was that no one had ever caught my eye when it came to attraction. I couldn't help but wonder what had brought on this vision. It must have been the water … the water, and Zane together had naturally brought up that up, of course. It was nothing more, nothing else. I had no attraction to Zane Truesdale, nothing. It was nothing.

"Are you feeling up to breakfast?" He called from his room. My head was feeling better, and I was getting hungry, but I wasn't sure that I wanted to have breakfast with Zane, especially after that vision. On the other hand, my other option was going home to Sartorius, and that sounded almost worse. Like I said, I remembered everything before the wine, the love confession was still there, and I really was feeling comfortable enough to face him yet. Maybe breakfast would help clear my mind.

"Yeah, I guess." I muttered. Zane came out of his bedroom, wearing on of his trademark dark outfits. He had his jacket in his left arm and a set of clothes in his other arm. "Here … those clothes your wearing smell like smoke and wine … I have these you can wear."

I snorted, Zane raised an eyebrow. I explained my behavior before he mistook it for rudeness. "You're at least a good foot taller then me, and I have an odd size. I doubt I'll fit in your clothing."

He shrugged. "It's not mine, try them." He set the clothes in my lap. I sighed, but I picked them up. "There's some Advil in the medicine cabinet. It will make your hang-over a little more bearable. Just don't kill yourself with my other meds … Just because you have one bad birthday, doesn't mean they'll all be bad. "I took his information to heart and made my way to the bathroom.

The clothing he had given me was a pair of jeans with a dark purple sweater. The sweater was a little big, but it fit perfectly other then that. I was amazed. My figure was rather small and femineim for a boy, I'd admit it. There was no way his clothes would come even close to fitting me. Then again, he had said they weren't his.

"Whose are these?" I asked after swallowing the Advil he had directed me to. "And how did you know my size?" Zane shrugged again.

"The sweater belonged to Atticus, and those are Alexis's jeans." He told me. I blushed at that information. He smiled lightly at my blush. "I thought your build was a little small for a normal men's size. They fit okay?" I nodded lightly. They fit perfectly. Zane nodded too. "Let's go then."

**Zane's POV**

He must have told me ten times on the car ride over that he was paying for his own meal at least. I had turned down his offer of paying for mine. However, when he realized that he had left his wallet in his other pair of pants; I had won the honor of paying for his breakfast.

"You can pay me back later." I told him as the waitress escorted us to our table. A lot of pro-duelist went to this restaurant, so the waitress wasn't star-struck to see either of us. She kindly sat us down and took our orders. Then we played the waiting game. Aster initiated our first true conversation at breakfast.

"So, Atticus and Alexis must have lived with you?" He questioned. I was about to ask how he knew, and then I remembered, it was their clothes he was wearing.

"They needed a place to stay while they made their way to the proleagues." I told him. He leaned forward in interest. I continued. "Eventually, Alexis moved out, but Atticus and I started dating so he didn't move out until we broke up."

Aster's eyebrows rose up. "You … and Atticus were an item?" He asked. He didn't know? We weren't exactly discrete about it. Coming in and leaving the duel arena together, sitting by each other during the other duels, those little meetings in the locker room ... I was sure everyone knew about it, how It have flown over Aster's head was beyond me.

"Didn't you ever hear us in the locker room?" I asked. His eyes narrowed in confusion before they widened in realization of just what I meant.

"So that was that banging I heard …" He muttered under his breath. I smiled, I should have been embarrassed but instead, I found it entertaining. In some ways, Aster was still a child, 

but surely, especially considering he was now eighteen, he must have engaged in some intimate activity. A touch, a kiss … something.

Oh shit, what if he had never kissed someone before, and he had unknowingly given me his first kiss last night? That would be dreadful. My first kiss was when I was ten years old, with a girl named Layla. We had kissed at a dance … I wouldn't call it romantic, or even great, but to know your first kiss was delivered in such a dishonorable way? I wouldn't shame him with that knowledge, not know anyway.

"So … does that mean… you're gay?" He asked carefully. My look must have been more aggressive then I wanted it to be. "I was just asking."

"For the most part, yes. I've been attracted to some women, but I've always been more drawn to men." I explained. He nodded.

"Me too." Aster murmured. I had always had feeling Aster was gay. Okay, let's pretend he didn't kiss me last night. He just had the vibe. The only person that had ever given me doubt that he was, was Echo, who happened to be Aster's friend now. However, soon after that I realized that his preference for men over-shadowed any feelings he may or may not have had for Echo. "I didn't think it was that obvious, but Sartorius had known all along. And apparently, you did too. I'm just surprised you are … you always seemed like a ladies man to me."

"Why? Because I have fan girls?" I said. For the first time that morning, a smile tugged on Aster's lips.

"Zane …" He began. "If that was the case then every duelist in the pro leagues would be straight." We both laughed at that. We weren't the only duelist who preferred men. Jaden and 

Jesse had been dating for awhile now. Chazz and my brother Syrus had been going out since duel academy. Hell, Jim, the Australian duelist, had fallen in love with Tyranno Hassleberry.

Our food arrived and we ate in mostly silence. Occasionally, one of us would comment on the food or some other meaningless thing.

I broke the silence when my curiosity got the better of me. "So, you really don't feel that way for Sartorius?" Aster's fork stopped in place. I suspected him to scold me, but instead he put his fork down hiding his blue eyes with his silver hair.

"No … I never even considered it." He answered. He shivered slightly as if he was cold. "I grew up always wanting a brother or sister. I knew it would never happen because my mom had died given birth to me, and my father would never even consider remarrying. I think being a single father and work took up too much of his energy anyway. After he died, Sartorius was there for me … I immediately thought of him as my big brother. Sirena became my sister. In a way, it was too much for to hear he loved me that way. I was hearing it from a brother."

He looked disturbed. He pushed his plate away, as if he had suddenly lost his appetite. I reached out to take his hand but paused. That would be a romantic gesture, I went for his shoulder instead, touching it gently so not to startle him. He looked up when ready, pushing his silver hair back. He was probably embarrassed that I had seen him this way.

"Sorry, my babbling must be annoying." He said. I shook my head.

"You have a drama filled life, it makes for good entertainment." He smiled when I said that. And I smiled back. He had the world's most beautiful smile, and he didn't smile often. Sure, 

he would grin, and that was beautiful too. His smile though, it was lovely, peaceful, and made me feel, what happy? I would say happy, but it made things less complicated.

I was going to take him home but he told me otherwise. I assumed he wasn't feeling comfortable enough to return yet. Something told me that my apartment was a bad place to go too. I asked him where he wanted to go.

"You don't have to babysit me. I'm not a kid!" He snapped. I rolled my eyes.

"I'll treat you like a child if you insist on acting like one." I responded. "I'm not babysitting; I'm offering to spend time with you."

His face melted, as if he were confused. "Why?"

"No one should have to spend their birthday alone." My response must have done something. He blinked in surprised, and then in realization. Eventually, he took up my offer.

"There's a lake in the Domino Country Side. It's about an hour away from here …I haven't been there in years but, I think it would help me." Aster told me. I thought about it, and then nodded.

"Okay."

Here is chapter 2 of fun and games. Thanks so much for the reviews! I'm glad people like my story, lol. Next chapter should be up soon.


	3. games

Fun and Games

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Yu-gi-oh gx; I do own my own characters though.

Summery: It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. After a strange moment with Sartorius, Aster sees a side of Zane he's never seen before

Chapter 3: games

**Zane's POV**

The scene was beautiful, the lake shinned as the sun hit the water. I had no idea why Aster would want to bring me to a lake, now it became all too clear. Aster smiled breathing in the air as if he was home again.

"So, how did you know about this place?" I asked him. He turned to me, as if he had forgotten I was there in the first place.

"Oh, my dad always brought me here to fish … We weren't really good at fishing." He explained a defeated look on his face. "It was pretty much the only thing I wasn't good at …"

"Besides accepting defeat." I joked with him. "And being modest too."

He laughed. "Are you serious? You're worse then I am. You have got to be the biggest hypocrite I know."

"I never claimed to accept defeat or to being modest. I simply pointed out that your bad at those things." I told him. He walked closer to the water, I followed after him slowly.

"Lay off, I'm only human." Aster said, finally picking a place and sitting down on the grass. "Despite what others might believe, anyway." I sat beside him on the grass looking out into the water.

"So, eighteen years, huh? How does it feel?" I asked him. He snorted.

"Haven't you been there?" He asked sarcastically. He shook his head, the grin on his face growing. "Honestly, I don't feel any different. That's probably because I've been eighteen emotionally for about … I don't know, four years." It was a pretty much the truth. Aster had always been more mature for his age; he had grown up after his dad died. I think when his dad died he decided he didn't want anyone taking care of him anymore. If his dad couldn't, no one could. I felt the same way, since my parents were always working, I felt as if I had to learn to take care of myself before the time actually came. It made you a stronger person later on.

"I can relate. Syrus was excited about turning eighteen, and I was basically bland about it. You know, who cares? You're just getting a year closer to death." I said. Aster laughed again, shaking his head.

"Zane … I don't think I'll be inviting you to any birthday parties anytime soon." He murmured. He sighed and sat up. "Well, want to go in the water?" My eyes widened.

"In this weather?"

"It's late September …" He told me, untying his shoes. He put them aside and then took off his socks. His feet might have been the most masculine feature about him, I noticed. He started rolling up his pant legs. "If you're afraid of the creepy water I understand." I sensed a challenge in his voice. The grin on his face proved it. He thought it was cowardly that I didn't want to go into the water. Either that or he was tricking me into the water. The worst part was – it was working.

I untied my shoes and took off my socks, trying to avoid the huge smile he had on his face. I rolled up the pant legs and stood up. He walked right to the water, not even stopping to check the temperature as he walked in. He had rolled his pants up higher then I had mine, but I wasn't going as deep as he was.

"I would always play in the water while my dad drew." Aster told me. He bent down and grazed the water lightly with his hands as I checked the temperature of the water. "He'd always tell me not to get soaking went yet, minutes later he would push me into the water, and we'd have water fights that would put wars to shame." I eventually made my way into the water, listening as he reminisced about his father. "It was always just me and him. I never made many friends in school … you know, my arrogance was huge even then ... My dad always spent time with me though. He was my best friend as well as a father. "

He stood up straight, staring out into the sun. He was trying to stop himself before he got too emotional. He had more pride then to cry in front of anyone, especially me. He'd also scorn off any comfort I'd try to offer him about his father. My dad was alive; I wouldn't know his pain according to him. Yet, I did understand losing your world, it had happened to me three times.

After awhile, I moved out of the water, knowing he was too wrapped up in his father to mock me. Eventually he moved out of the water too, and laid in the grass besides me looking at the sun. He started talking about our high school years, previous duels, and our mutual and not-so-mutual friends.

"I visited Echo over the summer … Sartorius and I did." He told me. I assume he was talking about when the last proleague season had ended. "She lives in Rosetta, Egypt now. I think it suits her well. Remember how short her hair use to be? It's down to her chin now."

I nodded. "What is she doing now?"

"Missionary work for the most part … they're secret missions. She spends a lot of her time trying to find a way to Adrian … No matter how much he hurt her, she'll always love him. I don't understand that." Aster shook his head and continued. "She's great, really she is, but Adrian, alive or not, doesn't deserve her devotion."

I nodded in agreement letting a moment of silence pass by before he asked me. "Can I ask you a personal question?" I looked to him, confused by what he had said but nodded. "Why did you and Atticus break-up?"

I wasn't ready for that question. I bit my lip, unsure of how to answer. I just told him the truth. "You saw the duel between Syrus and I right?" He nodded in response. "I had a duel like that with Atticus once … And I never forgave myself for the pain I put him through. I constantly beat myself up for it, and Atticus felt like our relationship wasn't balanced … That I'd always feel like I didn't deserve him. Eventually, it became too much for Atticus, and we both decided that it was best just to leave."

Aster nodded, understandably. "Did you love him?" He asked. "I mean, I know you must have felt something for him, but did you fall in love with him?"

I sighed. "Of course now I know he's not the one, but if you had asked me then … I would have said yes. Atticus saved me, and I'll always remember that. And we had so many good times … but you know, the bad times really ruined what we had." I told him. "When we realized what we had was going sour, we decided we could either try to keep it alive, or let it die. We let it die. Kind of like a person on life support. They'd be alive, but in constant pain, stuck in a shell and forced to suffer. The same went for us. If we kept trying, we'd be stuck in a ring of nothingness. I didn't want that for either of us. I guess it's nice to know we gave up in time to remain friends."

"I don't know if I would have handled it like you two did." Aster murmured. I shrugged.

"That's fine for you … we did what worked for us."

He sighed, looking down to the ground. "Man, do we know how to bring a party down or what?"

"This is a party?" I asked a light laugh in my voice. A grin grew on his face again.

"It's my birthday isn't it?" He said, I smiled at him. "I'm suppose to have dinner with Sartorius and Sirena. I should probably go home and clear things up with him before hand. Did you want to go?"

I shook my head. "Sartorius isn't too fond of me right now. I doubt he'd want me at your dinner. He called your phone last night and I answered. I pretty much tore him up."

"Wow, that wasn't very nice of you." Aster commented.

"Don't worry, he yelled at me first."

"Oh, well that makes everything better." Aster joked. He turned his head towards me. "Um, Zane … Thanks for taking me here, it really helped."

"No problem … though, it's getting close to three… Wanna get some lunch on the way home?" He shook his head.

"Nah, I really need to get home. Help me up." I leaned over and grabbed his hands. I tried to pull him up but he started complaining. "Wait! Hold on, I'm a little stiff." But it was too late; he flopped back down, pulling me on top of him. We grunted in union, and took a moment see if we were okay before we realized our current position. I was level with his face, and my lips were dangerously close to his. My legs were outside his from trying to catch myself. I saw him blush slightly, and I looked away. This was awkward….

I grabbed his hand and helped him sit up. His hair covered his eyes, like it always did when he was embarrassed.

"So … can we pretend that never happened?" He asked.

"Already done." I said. A smile tugged at his lips before he heard his cell phone rang. He let it down into a frown and picked up his phone and answered it. He already knew who it was.

"Hey Sartorius." He said casually. "No, I'm fine … Yeah, I just needed to get away you know? We'll … What is it?" I heard some deep mumbles from the other side. His eyes widen suddenly. "No!" He yelled. The phone dropped to the ground. His breath started to quicken, almost too fast. I don't know what Sartorius had told him, but it haunted him.

"Aster?" I asked. Nothing changed; I grabbed him and shook him lightly. "Aster? Aster, what happened?"

"It was a case of mistaken identity …" Aster whispered quietly. I was confused, what did he mean by that.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked. He grabbed my arm, either to stop him from shaking him further or to get a grasp on reality. He looked to me slowly.

"The D is alive after all …"

**Aster's POV**

On the car ride home I explained what I understood. Sartorius had told me the important details, but I was too shocked to take in anything. I was horrified, scared, how could the D be alive?

"Near where our boat had been … Another boat crashed." I said, obviously I was talking about the night I had dueled the D after discovering he had been the one responsible for my father's disappearance. "They saved two people from the other boat … They had seen the D's boat and found him burning alive. We had been told he was dead. One of the people died, and the other one lived with severe burns. He's been in a coma since then. The man woke up today but shook his head when they called him by his name. They found out that he had been on the same helicopter as the D and they asked him if that was who he was … he nodded." Zane sighed. I leaned back in my seat. It was ridiculous; this wasn't suppose to happen, especially on my birthday.

"So, what are you going to do?" Zane asked.

"Sartorius says that we need to go to the hospital he's at and confirm that it's the D. If it's really him, then we might be able to press charges against him for the murder of my father." I said. Zane's face lighten at that news.

"Isn't that good though? I mean, he'll go to jail for what he did to your dad." He responded. I snorted.

"Think about it Zane, they're not about to send a guy who woke from a three-year coma to jail." I told him. "Besides … he should be dead, just like my dad."

The rest of the car ride was silent. Zane pulled up in front of my house and gave me his best regards. It wasn't long before after that, that Sartorius and I left for the airport. I had to see for myself that the D was alive.

The hospital existed near the top of Australia. It was only a short flight from Japan. We entered the hospital; a nurse took us to his room immediately.

"You'll have to excuse me for a moment; I should make sure that Mr. Gables is taking guests today." The nurse explained.

I snorted. "Since when does he give out demands?"

"Well, he's not. His son is." The nurse explained. I looked to Sartorius; he was just as shocked as I was. "Larius Gables. He was the only relative we could find, he lived in Germany before moving here so he could be close to his father. I think his mom and Mr. Gables had a nasty divorce …" The nurse excused herself and walked forward. She stopped to talk to a man, probably around Sartorius's age. He had dark brown hair that drifted off his shoulders. The natural light of the hospital reflected off his glasses. His rugged beard was all I could see other then that of his face. This man was no doubt the D's long lost son.

The nurse said a few words and he nodded. The nurse walked him over to Sartorius and I. I glared at him.

"Mr. Phoenix ….Sir, my names Larius Gables, I'd like to apologize for the pain my father has caused you." Larius began, he sighed. "I know the pain of losing a father, now."

Was he serious? There was no way he could understand how I feel. I lost my dad, with whom I was close with, and he was murdered. Not to mention, my father wasn't a murderous monster. Thankfully, Sartorius spoke on my behalf.

"We understand that you had nothing to do with your father's actions." Sartorius explained. I rolled my eyes. Why was he being so kind to him? It made me sick. "For our own comfort though, we'd like to see your father. Confront him, if you will."

Larius nodded. "I understand. Although, he can't speak, he can understand what is being said and can react. Though Mr. Phoenix I must warn you … he might not recall his actions."

"Not recall his actions?" I repeated. Larius nodded, and shifted his eyes to the ground.

"He remembers me, and he remembers my mother. But he doesn't seem to remember the divorce. I think he remembers people… But not how he impacted them." My eyes narrowed visibly. I saw Larius's reaction. Sartorius dug his nails into my jacket—as if to remind me to play nice.

I didn't care; I walked past both of them into the D's room.

I might have felt sorry for a different man. He stayed his skin visible, clearly ruined by the force of fire. His face was deepened with scars so painful looking, that I could barely stand to look at them. His eyes were closed, he appeared peaceful, as if it was the first time he had slept in years.

My presence must have done something. The eyes slowly fluttered open. They were the only thing that seemed ordinary anymore. Those eyes looked at me, but bared no emotion. I glared back at them. I couldn't believe it – no matter what Larius said, I couldn't believe that the D couldn't remember his actions or what he did to my dad.

"Do you know who I am?" I asked him. The D stared at me unresponsive for a moment before he nodded. I continued to glare. "Do you remember my father?" Once again, he was unresponsive, but then he nodded again. "Do you remember what you did to him?"

I thought he would shake his head—accept his actions. Instead… He shook his head to side to side. My fists started shaking in anger. I turned away from him, determined to leave the room before I killed him.

I walked past Sartorius and Larius. Sartorius followed after me. This was too much… First he confesses his love for me, then I get drunk, now this?

For a split second, for some unknown reason… I wished Zane was here.


	4. What can you do?

Fun and Games

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Yu-gi-oh gx; I do own my own characters though.

Summery: It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. After a strange moment with Sartorius, Aster sees a side of Zane he's never seen before

Note: Sorry it came so late! I've been busy, I'll try to be faster with the story.

Chapter 4: What can you do?

The court date was set for that Wednesday. I spent three days in Australia, waiting to go to court to testify against The D. I didn't go and see him, but Sartorius did, reporting the progress Larius informed him of. Apparently, on good days, the D could engage in silent conversation. I remember the conversation on Tuesday night.

"While Larius and I were talking, D was able to nod or shake his head… Not much for conversation but he can answer questions." Sartorius told me. I sat on my bed, flipping through a book. I laughed.

"And, this is suppose to make me feel better?" I responded. Sartorius glared at me, standing up from his seat.

"I think we need to talk."

"What is there to talk about?" Sartorius walked over, I felt his hands grab my cheek and force my head up to him. My sarcastic aura faded into a nervous one. I could see the fire in his eyes. How this anger only fueled him. Was he going to kiss me?

He only frowned. Looking into my eyes. "Why can't you let it go? You did that three years ago, why can't you now?"

"He's not dead…" I answered quietly. Sartorius sighed. "Besides, I never let go… I got my vengeance, but I didn't let it go."

"His body is covered with burns… He can't talk, he can only nod and shake his head. He'll be stuck in that bed for the rest of his life. Can't you call that even?" Sartorius asked me. I shook my head.

"My father died because of him, and I refuse to call it even until he is dead." I said. Sartorius shook his head, releasing my chin. When had it come down to this? Sartorius had always done dramatic things to prove a point, it was just the way he was. However, I was frighten he would kiss me. All the progress we've made in forgetting the confession would be lost, and I would be scarred again. I couldn't let it happen.

"I never considered you the vengeful type… " Sartorius murmured, sitting back down in his seat. It was quiet before I sighed loudly. I didn't want it to be this way. I remembered in the old days, when in a situation like this, Sartorius and I would have played card games and eased each other away from any and all bad things in our lives. Sartorius would try to hold the burden on his own, and I'd try to remove the burden all together, but instead, we would try to comfort each other about the world.

I hadn't made things better. Sartorius may have caused it, but I was being a bit of a child about it. Had I simply confronted his feelings head on rather then run off and hide with Zane, we would have solved this by now.

I closed my book, and looked out the window. I needed to think. Yeah… think….I thought about things between Sartorius and I…. I thought about things between Zane and I. What was there between him and I? We could barely call ourselves friends. Yet, a couple nights ago, he had been considerably friendly to me. He had taken me in after I had gotten drunk; he had made my birthday somewhat enjoyable before I lost it finding out that the D was alive. I owed a lot to Zane, yet… why did I feel that way? People have tried to help me before but I had never accepted it. I would shake off their help and move on without it. But, I had taken Zane's help with little or no fight, and now I owed him. Why had I done that?

"I'll be back in a little bit…" Sartorius said. I broke momentarily out of my thoughts and nodded. Sartorius sighed and walked away. I slipped back into my thoughts.

I laid back on my bed, flinching as I heard the door shut. I closed my eyes. Why was I tired? I hadn't left the room all day. I've been to Australia before… Besides, I really wasn't in the mood for sight seeing. I only laid on the bed and closed my eyes.

Suddenly, I got a taste in my mouth… Alcohol, was it? I felt something press against my mouth. It was so… so good to feel. It was light, yet it made its existence clear. Though I didn't know why, I wanted more.

My eyes slowly opened. I was kissing Zane.

I sat up in my bed, and looked around. No one was there… But, how could that be? Someone had to be there. Someone had kissed me…

Or was it the other way around? I thought. Had I kissed them? What did that mean? I sat on the bed, thinking it through in my mind… What did it mean?

Then a memory came in my head. It was blurry, and I could taste the alcohol on my breath again. But I could see Zane's features. He was staring at me sympathetically.

_"I don't hate you Aster …" He had said. I gazed at him, confused._

_"You don't?"_

_"Nope." He simply stated. His voice, his deep, drawing voice. I used his suit to bring his face level with mine._

_"Then how do you feel about me?" And I reached forward and kissed him. _Back in my own bed, I gasped. It wasn't a dream! It was a memory… I… I had kissed Zane on my drunken night.

Well…. This was just great! I covered my face and groaned loudly. When did my life become a wreck? The minute I turned eighteen? Or as it was looming? How could I have kissed Zane? We were barely friends, I don't know even know his favorite color… What did that have to do with anything though?

He kissed me back, I remembered that as well. What did that mean now? Was he… interested in me? For someone who was so sure about their sexuality, I had no idea how to react to another man. I first had proof of that with Sartorius… Now Zane sealed the case. I had absolutely no idea about romance. Great, this was the last realization I needed.

I flopped back down on my bed… I needed to sleep now. I was going to shut my mind off before it acknowledged any of my other problems.

"The court calls, Aster Phoenix to the stand." The D's lawyer announced. I arose from my seat stepping past the table where Larius sat. Sartorius offered me a small smile from where he sat. The bailiff held up the bible, making me take oath.

"Yeah, yeah." I agreed, sitting back down and awaiting the lawyer's questioning.

"Mr. Phoenix, what is your standing relationship with Mr. Gables?" The lawyer questioned first. Obviously, the stero-type that all lawyers are sleazy isn't true. But this guy didn't help that theory. I knew I couldn't trust him just by looking at him. Would the judge pick up that aura?

"He was my adoptive father." I answered.

"_Was _your adoptive father?"

I grinded my teeth lightly. "I don't consider the man who killed my real father my guardian anymore."

"Allegedly, Mr. Phoenix." I wanted to knock his lights out. I sincerely did. "Now, tell me, where were you the night Mr. Gables had his boating accident?"

It was no accident. The ship had started on fire due to the dark light. It was clear what the lawyer was trying to get at, and it was pissing me off. How dare he accuse me of starting the boat on fire!

"I was on a helicopter… Leaving the man who had killed my father."

"Allegedly." He corrected again. "And you didn't see the boat catch on fire."

I laughed humorlessly. "Quite frankly, I couldn't give a damn."

"So, you did see the boat then? Yet, you didn't think to help him… Isn't that technically attempted-murder?" The lawyer questioned. Man, avoiding oath was harder then it looked. I wanted to tell the truth, but I didn't want that truth to come back to haunt me.

It's alright Aster, your smarter then him. "Actually, it's attempted-manslaughter… since I was acting in the passion of the moment, but no, I didn't think he needed help."

"Right…" The lawyer answered. "Now, Mr. Phoenix, tell me, do you believe in his current condition, Mr. Gables could hurt you?"

My face melted, my superior cool face was long gone. He had asked the question that would seal my fate as well as the D's.

Sartorius must have realized the same thing I had. His face was dismayed, he had seen this coming. I should have seen this coming. But at the same time, I could feel something slap my face. Telling me the cold hard truth… The D would be free.

"He did hurt me…."

"That wasn't the question Mr. Phoenix… Do you think Mr. Kyle Gables could hurt you in his current state?" I think the judge heard my growl, because he spoke.

"Please answer the question, Mr. Phoenix. Honestly…."

"…. No…."

I cursed myself silently. The lawyer gave me a sadistic smile. If I had died, my dad would have lied on the stand to get revenge. My dad was the stronger person… he always… always was the stronger person.

"Mr. Phoenix may step down from the stand now…"

It was only an hour later before the verdict was read. Our lawyer had told us that it wasn't a good sign. I scolded him silently for being brutally honest.

"How does the court find?" The judge asked. One of the jury members stood.

"We find the defendant… Kyle Gables, guilty of involuntary manslaughter."

I closed my eyes. How could something so evil sound so harmless? It was a win loss kind of thing – they acknowledged that The D had done the crimes – including kill my father—but he could no longer be held responsible for them. Justice had turned her good eye from me… Justice was blind.

I was snapped out of my mind by Sartorius, his hand firmly on my shoulder.

"We lost…" I whispered, I could feel my voice cracking, even as I spoke. I felt Sartorius's grip tighten.

"No, Aster… What's the point of freedom when he can't even move from his bed? He's paralyzed, he can't move… He didn't win either…" Sartorius explained. I covered my eyes, trying to hide the tears that were breaking through.

"That loss of freedom could have happened to anyone… Even a good person." I shook my head to divulge deeper in my point. "He's been injured Sartorius, but he doesn't remember it… He will never feel remorse for what he did because…. He doesn't know it happened… I… I can't stay here anymore…" I stood up, trying to keep my face down. I couldn't cry in front of him…. I couldn't cry in front of anyone. "Can we go home?"

I didn't have to look up to know that Sartorius was grimacing. "We still have some last minute things to work out with The D and Larius… but, I can handle that, you can go home. I'll have the jet get you at the airport."

"T…Thank you." I said quietly. Sartorius wrapped his arms around me, trying to make me feel better. It did a little… but it didn't change anything.

It was funny how Sartorius hugging me felt just a little like home. Through out my life, he had been the one constant in my life. I needed him. I loved him – but not the way he loved me

Some birthday this turned out to be. It went from being one of the best I ever had, to being the worst of them all… Why was that though? What had made this birthday even remotely special enough to be close to being one of my favorites?

I went to the lake I loved as a child…No, it was deeper then that… Much deeper and only through all this pain had I allowed myself to be honest.

I had spent it with the person I loved as a man.


	5. consideration

Fun and Games

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Yu-gi-oh gx; I do own my own characters though.

Summery: It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. After a strange moment with Sartorius, Aster sees a side of Zane he's never seen before

Chapter 5: Consideration

**Aster's POV**

The rain dripped on me, covering me in water. I ran from the airport, unwilling to face anybody, not even Sartorius after the courts ruling. Since D didn't remember his crimes, they can't put him away? He's no longer a danger to society? He _destroyed_ my father. He deserved to die; he deserved imprisonment, some justice. My whole life was based around that phrase, and now, it meant nothing.

I had drifted in the rain blindly. I didn't even feel where my legs carried me. The pictures of the past couple days blew through my mind. D lying in the hospital bed, the confrontation between me and the son I never knew he had. Zane… My god, Zane. The dream of kissing him still plagued my mind. No, not a dream … it had happened, and he had kissed me back. The worst part of it was, I was happy it wasn't a dream. These feelings were unexplainable. I didn't see Zane as a friend, yet, he wasn't a rival anymore. What was he to me?

I was broken out of my thoughts when I heard a door fly open.

"Aster?" Zane questioned. I looked up; Zane was looking at me, dressed in his black apparel. He must have just returned from a duel. My breathing was rugged from running but I managed to catch it. I didn't know what I was doing here, but I was going to find out.

"Hey … Can I come in?" I asked. Zane stepped aside, taking in my current state. I was soaking wet that much was for sure. I felt cold even as the water began to dry from my skin.

"So, is there any reason you're soaking my carpet?" He wondered. I turned to look at him. I don't know why, but something was drawing me into him. He was just standing there arms crossed staring at me. I could smell his cologne … it was dazzling me. Days ago, I'd never notice this, but this was before I had seen the real Zane. Somehow, I was attracted, and it was too late to stop myself.

"They're not going to throw the D in jail …" I responded. Zane's eyebrows shot up.

"What?!" He yelled. "Why the hell not?"

I snorted. "He doesn't remember anything; he's no longer a threat to society. So apparently justice doesn't apply here."

"What about what he did to those people? Your father? _You?_" I was taken back by Zane's yelling. I turned away from him, trying to hide the tears that were threatening to spill out.

"I've never felt more useless in my life. The man who practically killed my father is all but a free man. He's a vegetable though … still, why should he get to live?" I wondered out loud. I brought my jacket closer around me. I felt so cold, so scared, so useless …

A tear must have escaped my eyes. I felt it fall down my face, though I looked down, I could only hope Zane didn't see it. I heard his sigh – if he did see it, he wouldn't say it out loud.

"You caught me right after a duel, and I was about to make myself at home… You can do the same if you want…" He offered, I nodded and took his generosity to heart. I was about to sit on 

the couch when he spoke again. "Wait… don't you even think about sitting on my couch in your wet clothing…"

I snapped my head towards him in disbelief. Was he serious? "Well, what am I suppose to do about it?"

He pointed to his bedroom. "Go change… There's a pair of Atticus's pajamas in my closet… The red ones…"

I growled. "Could you at least say please so it doesn't feel like your commanding me?"

"Please…" He complied, obviously frustrated at the argument at hand. I sighed and walked to his room.

It wasn't as cool as I thought Zane's room would be. The walls were a very plain color of blue, and they matched his comforters and pillow cases. The only spark of individuality was the strange looking lamp next to the alarm-clock radio.

I opened the closet door; it wasn't too hard to find the red pajamas… They were the only all red outfit.

For Zane to still have these things, Atticus must have meant a lot to him. Why was I so threatened by that? Every time I thought about the relationship, a spark of jealousy crawled up my spine. Why?

That's all I did when it came to me and Zane… I asked questions but never gave myself answers. It was a good way to avoid everything. But… what was the point anymore?

I sighed as I started taking off my jacket.

**Zane's POV**

After the duel, I was starving. I was only seconds away from ordering a pizza when Aster came on my door step practically in shambles. I didn't even know why he had come to me, but I could imagine his distress. The difference between him and me is that I would have killed the D if it were me.

I walked over to my bedroom cracking open the door to ask him about the pizza. "I'm ordering food… What pizza toppings do you want?"

"Whatever you want is fine, and don't worry, I'll pay for it." I rolled my eyes.

"Aster…"

"You said I could pay you back." He reminded me. I sighed; I didn't want another fight to brew, especially in his condition.

"Alright, but I'm not a cheap date…" I joked; I swore I heard a slight laugh on the other side. I was about to pull the door closed when I saw him through the cracks.

He must have already taken off his jacket… It looked like he was on his shirt now, his arms moving down. His back was to the door, so I couldn't see much. I opened it just a crack to get a better look. His shirt fell to the floor. I held in a gasp… His back was a sight in itself. It was so curvy and sculpted… it was amazing. I watched his arms reach for something a bit more astonishing… his belt.

It must have been slippery from the rain—he was having difficulties grasping it. He did turn around, determined to unbuckle the belt. His front side was so much more interesting than his back. He was so broad in the front – I mean; the kid must work out or something. He wasn't a body builder or anything—I took that as a good thing. He had a perfect build – just right.

He pulled and grasped at his belt, cursing silently at it. Finally, the belt gave; however, it had the last laugh. His elbow moved back, not expecting the belt to give like that, and hit my dresser.

"Ah…" I took in a deep intake of breath. I by no means thought that him running his elbow into my dresser was hot, but rather… well, his little cry of pain sounded strangely like a moan. I felt a shiver shake through my body.

Aster shrugged it off and let his pants fall to the floor. Suddenly, I couldn't take it anymore. I forced myself to close the door quietly. I made my way to my kitchen counter, though I leaned over it to make myself breathe. God, was I so messed up that I had made a peep show out of Aster? What was the matter with me?

I wanted him … I had already stopped denying that, but I had never gone that far. This crush was becoming too much… I should just take him home, and avoid him from now on.

And then, I'd be a coward. Come on, Zane! Are you going to let a little lust control your life? No, I'm going to control lust. I will be stronger… I will hang out with Aster as long as I damn please, and lust can't do a thing about it.

"Hey Zane, how long before the pizza's going to be here?"

The object of my lust asked me that question. I finally caught up with myself, sighing out the last of what I saw.

"I haven't ordered it yet, but it usually takes about a half-hour." I answered back.

"Would it be okay if I took a bath?"

I covered my mouth with my hand to block the gasping sound it was making. Damn him…. Was he trying to kill me? Controlling my lust was even harder then I thought, if that was even possible.

"Whatever, I told you to make yourself at home." I told him at last.

"Thanks." He said, a moment or so later I heard water running. Finally I managed to walk away from the kitchen and finally order the pizza. The water was done by the time I had finished ordering the pizza. The thought of him was still fresh in my mind though.

Control hadn't always been easy for me. At one time it was, but in my recent years, it proved to be difficult to keep my cool. The first time that I truly had control back was with Atticus. Now, I was loosing it again with Aster….

Maybe, I wasn't meant to have control… Maybe someone else is supposed to have it.

Someone like Aster.

**Aster's POV**

I slipped in the full bath tube, trying to ignore the fact that the bath tube did not cover everything. As a result, my knees submerged above water. More of my chest was dry then I'd like it to be… But the point of this wasn't to get clean, but to think.

Did he seriously think I didn't notice him?

Granted at first, I was oblivious, thinking maybe I was just hearing that gasp or the cracking of the door. However, the closing of the door confirmed everything – he had watched me undress… pervert.

What if…. There was something more behind it? I'll admit, I'm a very attractive young man. But, Zane didn't seem like the peeping tom type. There must have been more behind it. I wonder…. Does he want me?

Once again, for someone who was so sure about their sexuality, I had no clue about how to act romantically with other men. I couldn't turn Sartorius down in a kinder way… I couldn't stop giving Zane false signs…. Or are they false.

Zane had helped me in a very dark time, and he had helped me when Sartorius confessed his love for me. Zane's done so much for me, it was a different side to him I've never seen. Or maybe, just a different side I hadn't noticed until now. This was way too confusing…

Let's break it down a moment… Let's say hypothetically, Zane wanted me….Did I want him back…

The kiss we shared was still on my lips. I felt it… Not to mention the only good part of the past couple days was replaying the day Zane and I shared before everything came tumbling down. I don't think I loved him… but maybe I did want him…. I did want him.

But how do I find out if he wants me? I had proof that he did, but I couldn't be certain… How did normal people find this out?

_Seduction._

My eyes drifted to the robe sitting on the hook on the back of the door – then to the pajamas. Ideas started turning in my mind. At first I tried to ignore them… but they were too strong.

I drained the water from the tube. I used my towel to clean the steam away from the mirror. I sighed looking at myself in the mirror.

I couldn't believe I was about to do this….

**Aster seducing Zane? Should make for a great and humor-filled chapter … guess you'll have to keep reading to find out. **


	6. seduction

Fun and Games

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Yu-gi-oh gx; I do own my own characters though.

Summery: It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. After a strange moment with Sartorius, Aster sees a side of Zane he's never seen before

Chapter 6: Seduction

**Aster's POV**

Okay Aster, take a deep breath…

Breath taken…. I don't feel better.

I could just turn back… But then this would all be for nothing.

No… I _had_ to know… I _had_ to do this.

Even if it met embarrassing myself…

One more breath….

Okay….

I cracked open the door of his bedroom, watching him sit and watch T.V., I wanted to hide my face again, but what good would that do. I choked down my pride… literally and tried to put on a light smile.

This was no different then how I acted with my fans. Put on the charming smile, put a little swing in your hips, and the crowd was drooling. But Zane wasn't affected by little things like that… I had to put my all out on this one…

I was wearing the pajama pants low on my waste. Enough to be sexy, yet not enough to be outrageous. I had no shirt on, only the robe I found hanging on the back of his door. It was so big it loosely hung around my shoulders rather then covering them, which was perfect. I kept the robe tied close – someone as smart as Zane enjoyed a little mystery. The walk was down, the outfit was pact, and my smile was sexy and confident.

I was ready… or at least as much as I would be.

"So… did you finally order the pizza?" I asked, landing my hand on my hip and waiting for his response. He didn't look up from the T.V. though.

"Yeah, it should be here in about ten minutes."

"Hmmm…" I wondered out loud. Trying to catch his attention. He continued to stare at the t.v. "Hmmm…" I tried a little louder… Nothing.

Maybe he wasn't that in to me. Maybe I imagined everything?

No… No! This wasn't how it was going down. He was just pissing me off now. This was no different then any other experience I've had with Zane. It was a game… Fun and games, and I would win….

I sat down next to him. Really closely. He didn't even glance over at me. I growled lightly … What did I have to do? Strip my clothes?

No… I had a better idea.

I faked a yawn stretching my arms and hands out – I place my hand back down, only to land on his leg.

That did it…

He glanced up at me. Confusion in his face. Suddenly his eyes caught my outfit. "You're wearing my robe?"

My smile grew bigger. "Well, you're the one who said make yourself at home."

He didn't say anything. He just kept staring at me. Whether it was good staring or bad staring… only time would tell. He shrugged, but didn't move his eyes from me. Perfect…

I used my hand to loosen the robe. Zane's eyes appraised me – Impossibly, my smile got even bigger. He liked what he saw. Eventually, I pulled the robe all the way open.

Zane's mouth opened.

"Wha…" He began but I shushed him. Bring my hand over his, bringing it to my chest. I winced slightly; I never imagined that his hand would be so cold. Yet, I didn't want him to move it.

The feeling of him touching my skin… Do you really want to know what it's like? You know the feeling when you've been electrocuted? Or when you've fallen from the sky? I felt similar to that right now. It's not like it hurt… It felt like my body was pulsing in ways I never thought imaginable. Like I had been drifting for so long and now I'm finally down to earth. If a simple touch could cause all this? What about a sober kiss.

The idea was too good to pass up. Anyway, I had started this seduction… I had to finish it.

I slowly moved myself closer to him – I had no idea how to kiss a person. It seemed like the easiest thing in the world, yet, actually facing your first… well, second kiss was a lot harder then I thought I would be. I didn't want to make a memory just for myself. I wanted Zane to feel the things I felt… I wanted to shock him with a mind-blowing kiss. A kiss that he would always remember me by.

I leaned in gently; he watched my face with his eyes. "Aster…" I closed his mouth with my own. Fierce enough to make an impression – gently enough that I wasn't taking on too much.

If only there was a word that existed to explain such a huge phenomenon. Exhilarating, amazing, incredible, astounded… Put those words together times a hundred and you would know exactly how I felt. It wasn't so much the kiss either. It was who I was kissing. A great man – a passionate duelist with a fiery will and an attitude to match it. He was the one I was kissing. He was the one that I loved.

It ended a lot easier then it had begun. My breath was ragged as I held on to him. I felt his chest rise – his own off-beat heart. What if my kiss gave him a heart attack? Wouldn't that be something? I couldn't help but entertain that thought. I had been naturally good at everything else in my life. What if kissing was no different?

"What was that?" Zane asked. I looked into his eyes.

I think I could feel my heart tearing.

He stared at me, shock clouding an abundance of emotions. Confusion...Disgust maybe? How could that be? I was so sure he wanted me, and now, seeing his face – I wasn't so sure.

The events played in my head. My god, what had I done? I pranced out here wearing a robe and pajama pants, put on a strip show for Zane, and then kissed him out of the blue.

Thank god there wasn't a gun in the room….

Just as the door bell rang, I jumped up and ran to his bed room. Zane stood up but didn't follow after me.

"Aster…"

"Leave me alone, you basturd!" How could he deny me like that? I had put my heart on the line for him, and with a simple look he had destroyed everything.

I slammed the door of his room shut, sliding to the ground, taking a moment to tie my robe. Had I ever been more embarrassed in my life? No… Nor I had ever been this… heart broken.

It was over… my seduction had failed… I would never have Zane.

All well… I tried.

**Zane's POV**

Once I paid for the pizza, I set it on the counter. I no longer had an appetite for it.

What the hell just happened?

Everything seemed so out of place until Aster kissed me. It was then when I realized what he was trying to do. He was trying to seduce me.

How was this happening?

Was it really happening? Was my crush admitting his mutual feelings for me? This was too much. How could it fall in my lap just like that?

I looked to my bedroom door, where Aster had run to after our amazing kiss. He must have misunderstood my look. I was too shocked to convey my feelings – I wasn't sure I could convey them on. But it seemed so unfair for Aster to reach his hand out when I was reluctant to do so myself. No… it was my turn. Not to seduce him, but to reveal my feelings.

I walked over to my door, my hands were shivering too much to knock—instead, I used my foot to hit the door.

"Go away!" He growled. I rolled my eyes. Typically, reasoning with Aster would be just as difficult as usual.

"It's my room!" I shouted through the door. I heard him growl again, but I remained in place. I wouldn't be scared off by him. This game we were playing though… it wasn't going anywhere.

Guess I'll have to talk to him through the door.

"Aster…" I said softly. "Come on… Look… I'm sorry if you misread me…"

He laughed. "Don't worry, it won't happen again!" His voiced dripped with venom. I sighed, running my hands through my hair.

"I didn't mean it like that… I meant to say… I'm sorry that you misread my feelings about the kiss…" I didn't hear a response, but he wasn't growling at me, so I continued. "I… just didn't know you felt that way. Why didn't you just tell me? Why did you try to seduce me?"

I waited several moments before the door cracked gently. A sigh gave me the sign that his defense was breaking. "Because, I didn't know if you felt that way. I wanted to see if you did before I jumped into anything. I…. don't know how to do this. I've never felt so strongly for someone… nor have I felt this way for anyone. I didn't think I could ever become this lost and confused… "

As I listened to his confession, I felt my own heart melt. If I were to wake up at this moment, I don't think I would ever want to dream again. Aster had always been the one thing I had wanted so badly, the one thing I could never have. And now… He was offering himself, his feelings, everything he had built, just for me. I don't think I could handle this just being a dream.

I bit my own lip – the pain stung slightly but was there, never the less. It was no dream. This was real.

I felt my mind race. Something bursting in my soul – happiness. Something I hadn't felt in such a long time. Not since Atticus and I. I hadn't wanted to swear off relationships after that, but now the hope of starting again with Aster was available… No man could turn that down. I didn't care if it hurt later… I wanted him now.

"Move from the door, I'm coming in!" I yelled through the door. I gave him a moment before I flew the door open. He had moved away like I told him to. He was buttoning up the red pajama shirt—damage control for the embarrassment he suffered.

What way could I prove to him that I was not offended, but rather enthralled by his kiss? An idea popped into my head. Normally, I would have been nervous, put off by the idea even. But in this case, I already knew he felt the same. He had initiated this. This was safe ground. I was free to do anything to prove my love for him.

In quick move, I walked across the room and grabbed him, turning him to me. He stared up at me confused, and shocked as I gazed into his eyes.

"Aster… I liked you…" And with that, I claimed his mouth in a fierce kiss. Bringing him against me, as if to force us into one. At first, he was petrified, but once he understood what was going on, he began to move his lips, moaning gently against my mouth. I could never have enough of this feeling. The more I felt and caressed him, the more I wanted him. I ran my tongue against his lips, forcing entrance into his mouth. Contently, he pushed himself into the kiss. The clash of our bodies and minds seem to have an exploding feeling, leaving only our souls in the abyss. I could stay this way forever… if only it was possible.

He pulled away, trying to force himself to breathe. His face was flushed, his body twitching. Slowly but surely, I was pulled back into my own body. Such passion could only be caused by him.

"W…w…what was that?" He huffed out. He sucked in a huge amount of air. I laughed gently.

"That was a kiss…" I answered. He shook his head.

"No way… does everything have to be a competition with you? I give you a wimpy kiss, and then you come with your big exciting kiss… Damn it!" I could see his smile though. He had enjoyed the kiss just as much as I had. He laughed as well. "You like me, huh?"

"Yes… very much…"

"I like you too…" He whispered. Soon after that, the shook wore off. We were finally able to think and act again. Suddenly, I remember our now cold dinner.

"I covered your ass again… "He was confused when I said that. "You told me you were going to pay for the pizza…"

"Sorry… I wouldn't worry about it too much." He responded. "After all… I think I'll have plenty of time to pay you back since we're together now…" He looked up at me, his face going back to its original stance of fear. "Are… we together?"

I stared at him, looking over his entire body. Looking into his eyes. It's all I've ever wanted. "We're whatever you want us to be…"

His eyes lightened a bit and he nodded. "I'd like for us to be together."

I had left my bedroom to put the pizza in the refrigerator. I didn't think we'd be eating it tonight. Already, I was eager to return to Aster. I was like a newly-wed.

I returned to my bedroom, to find Aster on my bed. He was lying on his back, staring at the celine. I frowned—something was wrong. He didn't seem as happy as he was before. He was still glowing, but his eyes showed something more. Confusion.

I walked over to him, sitting on my bed. I reached over to brush the hair out his eyes. "Aster?...You okay, Hero?"

He blinked and looked to me. "Hero? Geez, already with the pet names?"

I laughed softly. Yes, I had already picked out a nickname… "It suits you… You do like to be the hero after all… Anyway, what's wrong?"

He sighed, and rolled over on his side. "I should be miserable… Everything between Sartorius and I is in shambles, the D is a free man, and my revenge for my father was never really taken. .. And I was miserable…."

I raised an eyebrow. "You're not anymore." He shrugged in response.

"It's hard to be miserable…. You make it so difficult." He responded. "But I'm afraid… What if tomorrow this comes crashing down on me?"

His worries were legit, and even reasonable. Yet, it troubled me to see them affect him so much. I wanted to believe I had helped him in this dark time. But I couldn't be too sure. I wanted to help him, I just didn't know how.

I climbed into the bed, wrapping my arms around him and bringing him against me. He gasped quietly, but eventually accepted the embraced… even relax in it.

I knew this wouldn't solve his problems…. I knew there was nothing I could do to solve them. However… if I could make things just a little better… I would do it.

I couldn't remember who fell asleep first. I never remembered as the week grew on. Every night he spent with me, every night we slept in each others arms.

And every night, I loved him more and more.


	7. Hit, Bliss, and Miss

Fun and Games

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Yu-gi-oh gx; I do own my own characters though.

Summery: It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. After a strange moment with Sartorius, Aster sees a side of Zane he's never seen before

Chapter 7: Hit, Bliss, and Miss.

**Aster's POV**

If there was ever a time when I could use the word 'Paradise', it was now.

It had been a week since Zane and I had begun our relationship. At first I had wanted to take it slow, but somehow I spent every night sleeping in his bed. And no, I hadn't done the deed with him yet… I wasn't in that deep… I just always slept in his bed with him holding me. Every free moment I could, I was with him.

But our relationship had to remain a secret.

Star-cross lovers… Me and Zane… Imagine that?

"Yeah, I've decided you were right…" I said to Sartorius when he called me one night. I bit down on my lip as Zane continued to press kisses to my neck. I had told him to stop but you know Zane… He listens about as well as a rock.

"I'm glad to hear that…" Sartorius said on the other line. He sounded happier about that then I thought he would, but I didn't question it. After all, things were finally back to the way they were before. Now that I was with Zane, I no longer felt pressured by Sartorius's love. I knew that I would never return his feelings because my feelings belonged to someone else. Now if only I could tell him that. "I should be home this weekend… Sirena said she was coming to pick me up, I hope you will as well?"

I nodded gently, trying to avoid Zane's head. I could feel Zane's smile against my skin. Suddenly, he bit down on my flesh, causing me to gasp.

"Are you okay?" Sartorius asked. I glared down at Zane.

"Yeah, fine… Of course I'll be at the airport, why would you even ask?" I laughed. Sartorius laughed with me, just like old times… Just like paradise…

"That's good to know… And Aster…." I heard him clear his throat. "I want to … apologize for telling you I loved you… Of course, I do love you, but … not in the way I thought I did… I understand how uncomfortable that made you feel, and… I'm happy being your friend and brother, if you will still allow me to…"

He sounded so serious. I could tell when he was humoring me and when he meant it… He meant it this time. I wondered what had caused the sudden change in heart. Either way… it would make it easier to tell him about Zane… If I told him about Zane.

"Of course, you're my best friend Sartorius…. I'm glad…" I said honestly. I could imagine his smile on the other line.

"Well, I should be going… "

"Alright… night Sartorius…" I said.

"Goodnight Aster…" And with that he hung up, and I hung up as well. Suddenly, Zane bit my neck again, causing me to yelp.

"What the hell's your problem? Couldn't you see the object near my ear? That's called a phone…" I told him sarcastically. Zane only laughed.

"You're very hard to resist… Especially when you're laying in my bed…" The hot breath against my neck did feel good. I sighed, taking a moment to tug down my t-shirt. I had a closet size amount of clothing here now.

"Still, it was very rude…"

"Punish me then…"

I laughed slightly; I didn't take his comment seriously at first. However, I felt a cold hand reach up my shirt. I gasped slightly, unsure of how to react. He hadn't touched me there before… not just skin anyway.

"Punish you?" I asked, he nodded. His eyes weren't focused… they were entranced as he lifted himself over me.

"Or do you need something more to punish me about?" Before I could retort, he pressed his lips against mine, by habit, I fell right into the kiss. But before I could move Zane pressed himself down on me, causing me to gasp. His tongue forced its way into my mouth, exploring everything about it.

My body was aching for more—waiting for Zane to make his next move. But I couldn't do this – Not now. We had been dating for maybe a week. And yes, I very much wanted the man above me. I just wasn't ready to give myself to him yet.

I broke the kiss. "Not tonight, babe…"

A sigh was Zane's response but a smile grew across his face. "Okay…" He kissed my lips lightly before moving to my side. I sat up, staring at him as he stared up at the cline. His face was covered with disappointment.

Great, I felt horrible "Are you mad?"

"No. Why would I be?" Zane wondered, his eyes drifting back towards me. The look in my eyes said everything. "Oh... It wasn't anything you did, Aster…"

"And you think I'm stupid enough to believe that." Zane cracked another smile taking my hand.

"It's consensual Aster…I'm disappointed, but that doesn't mean you have to jump into bed with me…." I sighed, he brought me against him. Not seductively – just lovingly. "I'll take whatever I can get from you…"

I smiled back; just holding him close. One on hand, I didn't believe for an instant he was satisfied. On other hand, I was pleased with his control. He didn't try to pressure me or course me. He understood.

So everything was perfect again. He kissed me ever so gently on the lips—but things between us never ended that way. His power and passion washed over me and yet again I was under his spell. I wonder exactly how long this abstinence thing was going to last?

Just a bit longer, because someone was at the door. I pulled away from him and tried to act like it didn't bother me.

"Are you going to go get that?"

"Wasn't planning on it… The only person I want to see is right here." He whispered seductively, he tried to kiss me but I stopped him.

"Go get the door; I'll be here when you get back." I said, my tone filled with amusement. Zane grumbled as he lifted himself from the bed.

"You better make good on that promise…" He walked out into the living room and I was left to wait for him.

It was odd; five minutes ago I felt terrible. I'll admit, that by telling Zane no I thought maybe something would change. But just like a light switch; the happiness was back. I wasn't use to it. I wasn't use to be happy all the time either… The only time I was always happy was when my dad was still alive.

"I want to talk to him now!" I recognized that unusually angry voice. And then things were bad again.

"Sirena?" I quickly got out of bed and made my way to the doorway—sure enough, Sartorius's younger sister was standing there.

Being a meko, she sensed my presence almost immediately, and turned her gaze to me—scorn, fury, and all. She knew, she probably saw it too. Sirena's powers were still intact, meaning that she still received visions and dreams—she's probably known since the night it started. Now, the only question was if she was going to tell her Sartorius.

I looked to Zane. "Perhaps we should discuss this somewhere else…"

"Aster, I don't feel comfortable with you being alone with her…." Zane said, still keeping his eyes on Sirena. Even if Sirena was shorter and skinnier then me, it didn't mean she was weaker. If she wanted to, Sirena could mop the floor with me at anytime. But for Zane to think she'd hurt me? Yeah she was angry, but I grew up with this girl—she was basically my sister. She wouldn't hurt me anymore then she'd hurt Sartorius.

"No, he's right; we're imposing on your space." She seemed honestly insulted by Zane, as she should have. "I want you to come home with me Aster. Now."

Zane didn't want me to go. I could feel his cold, strong gaze willing me to stay. To tell Sirena to leave. But looking back to Sirena—I knew I owed her an explanation… At least that much after all we've been through.

"Let me get my jacket." Zane followed me back into the bedroom. I fumbled around 'looking' for my jacket and trying to breathe for a moment. I waited until he shut the door—then I sat on the bed and sighed.

"You don't owe her anything, it's your life and you can do what you want with it." He didn't even try to hide the disgust in his voice. Honestly, it was annoying that he hated Sirena so much just for being Sartorius's sister. "She's just angry because you choose me over her brother you know…"

I groaned loudly. "Wouldn't you be angry too? What if someone had broken your brother's heart?" I asked. Zane tensed; he and Syrus never had a perfect relationship but I knew Zane would do anything for him. "And regardless of her intentions, did it ever occur to you that I wanted to tell her?"

"She won't understand, Aster!" He snapped—it both shocked and annoyed me. "Do you think she looks at you and see's a dear friend? A brother? The only thing she sees is a liar and tramp!"

And just like that, my patience had snapped. "Is that how you think the world sees me? Do you think I'm liar for loving you? A tramp in your bed?!" He grimaced and seemed to regret his statement after I had said that, but I didn't give him time to take back. Like he could anyway. "I'm the only one in this relationship that's still a virgin!"

His eyes flickered with hurt. I felt a jab in my heart at causing him that pain—but he had started the pain first.

"You're not a tramp, Hero…I never said you were. I'm just trying to tell you that she might not be so nice to you now that she knows you're with me." He took my hands into his and stroked them; I tried not to feel moved by the gesture. Dammit, he couldn't do that to me now! "I just… don't want him to hurt you again."

I had enough of this. If I didn't leave now, I'd be melting in his arms, and I didn't want to give him that control. I pulled away my hands and 'found' my coat and turned to Zane, my eyes averting his sad stare. "I'm going to spend a few nights at home…at least until after Sartorius comes home….I'll call you tomorrow."

"Aster, wait!" He stood up and caught my arm before I could walk away. He jerked me to him and brought me against him, cupping my face with his hand. "I don't want you to leave like this…"

He kissed me deeply, and passionately—and it drew me in. His anger, his fear, his hurt, and…love? It melted together with my own emotions and exploded like it tended to. It didn't matter how angry I was—I wanted to kiss him again.

But I let him pull away. "Goodbye Zane… I'll call you." I turned and walked out, throwing my coat around my shoulder and walked in stride with Sirena. We got down the hall when I heard a noise from Zane's department. I pretended it wasn't broken glass.

**Zane's POV**

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid! Why had I said that to him? How do I always manage to screw up?!

I turned my eyes away from the broken vase and willed myself calm. The last thing I needed was a heart-attack right now, and with my stress level—I was already pushing it.

I could have handled Aster yelling at me. I could have handled him defending that bitch and her manipulative brother. I could have taken controlling, basturd, and any other insult in the book. But for him to call out my sexual experience? To remind me that he was pure and I wasn't? Too far.

I had asked for it—oh yes, I deserved it. The tramp comment was uncalled for in it's own way and targeted Aster's own insecurities. But Dammit, I hated Sartorius for what he did to him! I hated Sirena for luring Aster back into his game….

I hated myself for risking the best thing that's ever happened to me. Again—

_Suddenly, my living room had transformed—not so much the appearance of it. A few things changed around but otherwise pretty much the same as it was now—but the aura of it. After Aster had left I felt alone, and fearful. Here was a much sadder feeling… It was a numb, mourning feeling. As if the funeral was over, but the body hadn't been buried._

_I saw myself standing across the room. I was wearing my so-called famous 'poker-face' which was cold and intimidating—but I could see the hurt and pain in my body language. I remembered it clearly._

_Atticus was sitting on the couch. His hands were clutching one another as he attempted to choke back his sobs. I knew any minute now, tears would start falling down his face. _

"_It was only once." Atticus whispered. I watched as his body rattled with shame and guilt. "I didn't plan it or even want it, Zane. I didn't know I was going to sleep with him. It just…"_

"_It just happened." Was that my voice? It didn't sound like mine. This person sounded ill—near death even. But sure enough, I watched as my lips continued to pour words out. "Funny how easily it 'just happened'"_

_The first tear fell down Atticus's face. "No…It wasn't easy at all! Zane, he flirted with me for months and I turned him down every time! I waited for you… I wanted you to come to bed with me and stay there. I wanted you to forgive yourself and forget about what happened in the past. But instead you let it run your life!"_

"_And that was your reason for having sex with him!" I had growled. More tears fell down Atticus's face. "I didn't want to hurt you anymore! I only wanted to love and please you and you repay me by sleeping with that filthy basturd? How could you, Atti?!" My own shield had given out and I kicked the table to the side… falling down to the ground in front of him. "I know I hurt you Atticus… I'd do anything to take it back. I would have spent every night with you—but the nightmares were getting to be too much. You wanted to let it go so…I slept on the couch, I tried to deal with it myself…The last thing I wanted to do was to make you sleep with another man…"_

_Atticus tried to wipe his tears away; the sight was heart-breaking even now. "But all you did was hurt me more. You isolated yourself from me—You made me feel like a burden to you. I felt like you only loved me because of the duel we had when you were Hell Kaiser."_

"_That's not true! And you know damn well it isn't!" My yelling only made him cry harder. I sighed deeply and calmed down again. "I love you for so many reasons, Atti. That duel just….I felt terrible because it hurt you. And yes I wanted to make it up, but it's not why I'm with you! How many times do I have to tell you that before you believe it?"_

"_I don't know." He said. I took his hands into mine—tried to console him like I did Aster. It didn't work, he pulled his hands away. "But, it's become apparent that all we seem to do is hurt each other…And I don't want to live in that world anymore, Zane."_

_There was a short silence. At that time, it felt like forever, but now…it seemed like only seconds. Maybe because I knew by heart what was said next. _

"_So…it's over then?" My voice had given out at the end. In my heart, I had wished for different. I had wanted to beg Atticus to stay—promise him I'd make good, even knowing what he had done to me._

_But I knew this wasn't the life either of us deserved. Each day had its happy moments, but at the end of the rainbow, there was no pot of gold. We were ghost living in our own home, trying to accommodate one another. The next day Atticus would move out and my home would be lonely and empty—but I would be free to begin again and Atticus would find the lover he deserved to have. It would hurt like hell, and it would never be the same again._

_But it would better then this—anything was better then this._

"_It's over." He agreed._

I was back in my own time—Atticus and my former self had disappeared. I was alone again—me and the broken vase. The emotions remained, however. I started pacing just so I wouldn't feel the need to clapse.

I didn't want history to repeat itself… Let alone, with Aster. This wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

I wouldn't lose him.


	8. note

Note-

Sorry I forgot to include this in the new chapter, but I'd like to apologize for the very, very late update of this story. I plan to continue as such, and I'd to thank anyone who continues (or is beginning to read it)

Thanks again!


	9. belonging

Fun and Games

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Yu-gi-oh gx; I do own my own characters though.

Summery: It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. After a strange moment with Sartorius, Aster sees a side of Zane he's never seen before

Chapter 8: Belonging

**Aster's POV**

I was leaning against the wall of the house we lived in—or rather, where I stayed when I wasn't at Zane's. The car ride home had been silent almost like the calm before a storm. Then the moment I walked through the door, the thunder stuck. Sirena was furious, and she made sure I knew it.

"I don't see how you could have ever gotten dragged into that ego-maniac's world!" She shouted at me "My brother isn't good enough for your back-hand romance, but Zane gets the prize?! Why?"

"I don't why…" I answered honestly. I hated being lectured, especially for something that wasn't really wrong. But Sirena had a way of making me feel like a child—maybe as the only true female status in my life besides Echo, she seemed like a mother-figure to me. "I don't know why I have feelings for Zane and not Sartorius… they're just there."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Did you honestly think you could keep it up forever? That the press won't find out? That Sartorius won't? This disaster you call a romance would have came out eventually, and your life would have been in shambles!"

Her words carried some truth. Even though there were many openly gay men in the proleagues. I, surprisingly, was considered one of the straight ones. And although I never claimed it, I never denied it either. But if it did come out that I wasn't—I'd loose a good portion of my fan base. The crazy fans that thought 'they had a chance with me', that could imagine me dating or sleeping with them… they'd fade away. It'd change my image, regardless of how sexuality was seen in the proleagues.

It was then what she said completely processed. "Have? What the hell does that mean?"

"You're not seriously going to keep seeing him are you?" She said with contempt and disgust. I looked away. She fumed at my response. "Do you realize what you're doing to my brother? How much It will hurt him? Dammit Aster, I told him what would happen and he didn't believe me!"

"You knew he was going to tell me?" I asked quietly, trying to hide my shock. "And…you knew I would deny him?"

Sirena's defenses gave out. Her will and power evaporated into sorrow and sadness. She sat down on the couch and ran her fingers through a strand of black hair. The situation was safe so I joined her.

"Of course I knew…That's why he asked me." She admitted. I stared at her, encourage her to explain some more. Sartorius asked me to look into his future to see how you'd react to his love confession."

I paled; did that mean Sartorius already knew? "And what did you tell him?"

"I didn't tell him about you and Zane if that's what you're worried about..." My stare must have been intense; she was taken back. She recomposed herself and continued. "I apologize Aster, I know you care for my brother…even if you're not in love with him. I just hate that blue-haired basturd so much!... Anyway, I told my brother that your reaction unfavorable and that you would reject him. I told him I saw other men in both your lives—other people you both loved."

"And that's how you knew I was with Zane…" I finished. It all made sense to me except for one little thing. "But….if Sartorius knew I would reject him—that I wasn't meant to be with him, why did he tell me anyway?"

Sirena smiled gently with humor. "He'd thought I'd be wrong. My visions are getting less and less reliable as of lately. I didn't see the D's return, nor did I know when you and Zane actually started dating until last night… Besides, you know my brother—he's a gentle soul… A secret that heavy on his heart was bound to come out."

I nodded in understanding and leaned back in my seat. "It wasn't my intention to hurt him Sirena… If I could, I'd love him with all my heart—I would have done anything for him."

"But you can't love him? Or at the very least....not fall in love with Zane?"

I sighed and stood up, walking towards the window. Rain clouds were forming in the night, reminding of the night Zane and I started dating. "No… it's too late. Even if I didn't want to love him... Zane does something to me, I can't stop it." Admitting wasn't easy, but it was true. Zane turned me on and controlled me like no one else could. These feelings were impossible to fight so what was the point in trying?

She stood and walked towards the window next to me. She placed a hand on my shoulder but I could see her gaze in the window. It was one of burden and sorrow. It broke my heart to see Sirena so haunted.

"A lot of things are going to happen, Aster." She said quietly. The first bout of rain drops began to fall. "Though not through my lips, your secret will be revealed eventually. My brother's heart will be compromised and agony will ensure. No one is safe from it. Only you will be able to bring peace, and that will come with great sacrifice."

I reached my hand out to touch the rain on the other side. Taking in what she was telling me. "Is this sacrifice…me not being able to be with Zane?"

She shrugged. "My powers are weaker then normal. I can't see how this will end. I can only depend on my vision and sense or aura. For all I know, I could just be wasting my breath."

"Is there someway to know? A sign that it's coming true?" I asked.

Sirena didn't respond at first. I slowly turned to see that her face was flushed with 'embarrassment and… disgust? She swallowed the lump in her throat and told me what the sign was.

"If you make love with Zane on Sunday …. Then my prophecy is correct."

-----

I hated airports… They were crowded with rude people who didn't care about anything or anyone as long as they got to their flight on time. The worst part was knowing these people were normally kind members of society that were forced to be animals by the demand of planes.

Sirena and I waited at Sartorius's gate; waiting to welcome him home. His plane pulled in and I smiled. I couldn't wait to see him again.

Despite everything, Sirena was excited to see Sartorius. They had always been close, and I admired that. Even when Sartorius was under the control of the dark light, Sirena followed him through the darkness and stood by him. They were always there for each other.

Sirena and I walked towards the terminal, intent on welcoming him home. Conversation was light and simple—mainly reflecting on Sirena's prophecy.

"Don't try and fight fate. It's pointless." She told me as we walked. Although Sirena couldn't read my mind, she must of known that I was hesitant to even speak to Zane until Monday. "That's why I'm not telling Sartorius—it will be a fruitless effort on his part."

I didn't share Sartorius and Sirena's views of fate. I believed everyone had a choice in what their 'destiny' was. They believed that everything was already planned and in place from the moment we're born. That we're only presented with the image of choice rather then the real thing. Maybe once I believed that but I didn't think it was my father's destiny to die so young or my destiny to fall in love with a man who practically hated me at one time—those happened because of my choices.

Out of a group of people, I saw him emerge first from the hall, and smiled. He smiled back and walked forward.

"Brother!" Sirena shouted as she ran over to embrace Sartorius. I began walking over, making sure I didn't knock people over.

"Sirena, I've missed you." Sartorius said, looking back to me…Like he was nervous? What was that about? "I brought you many gifts… and someone to meet."

"Tori, is this your sister?" I stopped in my tracks when I herd the voice. Someone had joined Sartorius from the hall. I clenched my hands to deal with the anger. What was _he_ doing here?!

Larius Gables shook Sirena's hand. She kissed his hand as a sign of affection and glanced back to me. She had seen this.

I stomped up to Sartorius. His smile melted away immediately. Everyone's mood seemed to plummet actually. "What the hell is this?" I asked.

"Aster, you should be nice to Sartorius's guest…." Sirena warned. Larius held up his hand.

"I thank your concern, but Aster has good reason for his reaction." Larius explained calmly. He smiled lightly at Sirena. "You see… My name is…"

"Larius Gables, the D's son." She finished. Larius's flashed a confused glance at her. "I have abilities that lead me to see this moment."

"I see… well in any case…I certainly didn't intend for things to go this way. Larius began, he turned towards me and the pain of my father's death suddenly pressed against my chest. "I spent a lot of time talking with Sartorius and well, turned out he was nursing a broken heart and… well…" He took Sartorius's hand. I tried not to gag. "We connected. So much so, Sartorius asked me to come back to Japan with him. I had lost my job in Germany and there was nothing but a bed-ridden father for me in Australia… So, I thought I could make a new start here in Japan."

Sartorius silently apologized. I growled; he wasn't sorry. He was dating the son of the man who killed my father and he wasn't sorry! Granted, I was keeping my affair with Zane quiet. But Zane had never done anything to Sartorius! For all we knew, Larius could be just as cold and sinister as his father.

I was sorry too; sorry my best friend was so misguided.

I turned and began walking away. "Aster, don't do this!" Sartorius begged, but I continued. He called after me a few more times but I never relented. I had stood by Sartorius through a lot; I had forgiven and apologized to him more times then I could count. I thought there was nothing that could break our relationship.

And now, I wasn't so sure. This was an unforgivable betrayal. I felt a tear fall down my face and I wiped it away. I missed the days when I didn't cry at all.

I was in the lobby when Sartorius caught my arm, turning me towards him. "What is wrong with you Aster? Are you so bothered by seeing me happy?"

His expression melted when he saw another tear fall. I pulled my arm away and rubbed it away from my face.

"That's the son of the man who killed my father! How could you ever think I'd be okay with this?" I asked.

"I knew you wouldn't…but I couldn't help it Aster. I didn't think I'd ever love anyone after you but when I met Larius… There was an attraction there, I tried to resist it, but it was no good." Sartorius groaned and grasped my shoulder with both his hands. "It was never my intention to hurt you…in fact, if anything, I was trying to help you.'

I snorted and pushed his hands away from my shoulder. "Help?! Are you crazy?!"

"I was…" His voice cracked as if he was close to crying. "After I told you that I loved you, you were distant from me. You were going off alone, spending time with Zane…" He said Zane's name with particular disgust. It just made me angrier. "I wanted to make things better again, so I thought if you knew I was with someone else… we could go back to the way things were."

I shook my head. "Things can never go back…not while you're with him. It's either me or him Sartorius."

Sartorius growled and stepped away from me. "You're being unreasonable!"

Finally, I broke. More tears then I could control feel from my face. Although early on, I had needed space from Sartorius, it was never my intention to stay away from him forever. I never thought I could make that choice, nor did I think Sartorius could. But with that statement, he had all but said it. He wouldn't give up Larius for me…

My heart was shredding.

"I'll send for my things then. You and Sirena can keep the mansion." He looked shocked as I walked away. He shouted after me but didn't follow me. It wasn't until I looked back that I saw that Larius and Sirena had caught up.

Sartorius murmured what had happened and Sirena—bewildered looked me in the eye.

She didn't know my reaction would be so extreme.

**Zane's POV**

(note: this is the same day)

The next few days would be filled with pain and anxiousness as I awaited Aster's return. He had called as promised but only told me he needed a few days away. That he couldn't think around me.

"I'm sorry I hurt you." I had told him.

"I am too." He said quietly. "I'll come back in a few days okay? Just….try not to worry, everything will be fine."

I wasn't so sure. And as the days went on, the more I missed him. I felt like every moment he was away was harder to bear. It was so weird—I had never been this worried about losing someone.

Even with Atticus, I was prepared to let him go for the good of our happiness. But what if it had been Aster rather then Atticus? What if I discovered that Aster had slept with another man or that he was unhappy with me? Could I go on? Would I fall back in the darkness?

I didn't want to find out. I needed him.

"You missed your duel."

I sat up from my laying down position on my couch and turned to see my brother Syrus standing at the doorway. He shut the door and walked forward. My brother had changed from the small, geeky, high schooler I use to know him as. He had grown, still at least 2 feet smaller then me, but at least somewhat closer to average height. His voice had finally passed through puberty, taking on a sweet alto sound rather then the scratchy edge it had before. But in the way he carried himself, I still saw the former version of my younger brother.

"Did you ever think about knocking?" I said, lying back down on the couch. Syrus sat down on my chair and crossed his legs.

"I did. Four or Five times. I thought something had happened to you."

"Now wouldn't that be a shame?" I sighed. I knew my attitude was bringing my brother down, but he had picked a really bad time to visit. "What do you want, Syrus?"

Syrus shrugged. "Like I said, you missed your duel… I was worried you were upset over Atticus and Ollie."

I sat up again and raised an eyebrow at my brother in confusion. "What about…" And before I asked, it clicked. That sad, sad fact clicked in my brain. "Atticus is dating Ollie?!"

"Opps…" Syrus said. "I thought you already knew… They've been the talk of the dueling world...I'm sorry."

I forced myself to calm down as much as I could. My heart was throbbing in my chest and if I wasn't careful, the pressure would explode and possibly kill me. Just another reminder of my past mistakes. Oddly enough, the same mistakes that ripped me from Atticus in the first place.

Orville J. Duncan or 'Ollie' was the final nail in the coffin of my former relationship. He was about 2 years older then I was, but lacked the dark appeal I did. Ollie's appeal was more of his uncaring attitude, and rock style. His style was rather popular with teenagers, that's why even though he was a so-and-so duelist, he was rather popular in the league.

I never understood why he liked Atticus's bouncy, light personality. I guess it was the same reason I did. He was a shining star in the darkness, and it was beautiful and dazzling to us 'dark people'. That was why Ollie liked Atticus; flirted with him everyday…Took advantage of our weak relationship to sleep with him…And I still hated him for it.

"Atticus said he wasn't going to date him. That all he had been was a moment of weakness." It hurt. I won't lie. And on top of everything, that pain was the last thing I needed. But there was always some condolence that Atticus's one night stand with Ollie was only a symbol that Atticus and I were over. I wanted to believe that if Atticus and I were perfectly happy in our relationship, the affair might have never happened.

Now, I had to wonder exactly what Ollie meant to Atticus during their time together. I know it had been almost a year since our break-up but it still bothered me. It was hard to bare.

Syrus smiled gently. "Hey, you know what will help? A bunch of the guys and Alexis are hanging out tonight…why don't you come with us?"

"No thanks, I'd rather nurse my wounds alone thanks." I wasn't interested in my brother's kind of 'help'. I was all for being there for friends and such, but I was an anti-social type. I didn't want other people to know I was weak or try to help me with it. Especially when they didn't know why I was in such pain.

"Zane, we're worried about you." Syrus said quietly. When I heard the sad tone in his voice, I turned to him in interest. "After all you've been through, you were finally starting to be…happy the past few weeks. Now, your miserable again, and I don't know why…And it's…okay if I don't know, I just don't want you to go back to the way you were after your first loss in the pro-leagues, and after Atticus. So please, humor for one night."

I rolled my eyes. My brother was just like my mother. Always concerned and always going to extremes to make sure I was alright. I guess I should consider myself lucky that after everything I've done, Syrus still cares so much. And maybe he was right—maybe a night out was what I needed. Maybe being around other people would make me forget—if only for a little while.

"Let me get my coat."

----

This particular bar was popular among the proleague crowd. I recognized many of the people in it but the only friends I had were in a round table in the corner. Syrus quickly found his place by Chazz's side and kissed his cheek. Jesse and Jaden were next to them, their attentions drawn to a hand-held game in Jaden's hand. Alexis smiled and waved to me; I chose to sit next to her.

"Hey, long time no see." She embraced me and I smiled back at her.

"Sorry, my personal life has been rather…hectic lately." I explained. She paled a bit.

"Atticus and Ollie?" She guessed.

"I only found about them today actually. But I'm not pleased about them either." Alexis bit her lip and I sighed. "They're coming later, aren't they?"

"I didn't know you were coming. I would have told Atticus to leave Ollie at home."

"Maybe I should just go…" I got up to leave but Alexis pulled me back down.

"Too late." Alexis whispered in my ear. I looked to the door and sure enough—Atticus was walking in with his new boy-toy. Both hand-in-hand and shocked to see me.

Ollie was a foot taller then Atticus, and his lanky figure was lightly tanned. His arms were covered in tattoos and ran up to his neck, just touching his long black hair. His appeal was a mystery to me, but of course, I was biased.

"Zane?!" Atticus yelled. To my surprise, he smiled and pulled away from Ollie. I stood up just in time to receive his embrace—warm and gentle as I remembered. No matter what the circumstance, it did feel good to see him again.

Ollie glared at me and I smirked. At least something good had come from him coming. Atticus's expression appeared apologetic. "About him…"

"Yes, could we talk privately about that?" Ollie looked as if he was about to object when Alexis spoke up.

"Ollie, could I speak with your upcoming duel?" She said sternly. Jesse and Jaden giggled and I couldn't help but chuckle a bit myself.

I moved to let Alexis out and followed Atticus to the jukebox. He was looking through the songs; not that I expected any less from him.

"I thought Ollie was just a mistake…" I began. Atticus frowned and seemed reluctant to answer, but I continued. "Atti… I don't understand."

"Zaney…" He said, using my pet name softly. "I'm sorry if it hurts you. I just … After we broke up, I couldn't handle dating other people. I wallowed to myself for weeks and months and…I got tired of it. Ollie was there for me, and he waited for me to heal and… I thought I owed it to him to at least try."

I didn't trust Ollie; I never really did trust him. And he would never be good enough for Atticus that was for sure. But I had spent the better part of the past year alone—and I understood how loneliness worked. And even if I didn't think Ollie was for Atticus—I knew you had to get back on the horse sometime.

"Well… I can't talk… I'm dating someone too." I murmured. Atticus heard it—he squealed loudly and I tried to shush him. Jaden, Jesse, Syrus and Chazz stared, but turned their attention away again.

"Who are you dating?!" He said in a loud whisper. I paused and contemplated telling him. Aster still wasn't open about his sexuality hence why he didn't want our relationship public. But I knew Atticus would keep quiet if I asked him. And everything was going good so far.

"Aster Phoenix, but don't tell anyone, okay? He doesn't want people knowing yet." Atticus gasped.

"Aster Phoenix?" He repeated. "As in, the Aster Phoenix that defeated you, made you Hell Kaiser, and went to the third dimension with you, that Aster? I thought you disliked him!"

I smiled at the irony. At one time, it seemed like Aster and I were mortal enemies. Now, or at least, we were infatuated with one another. Although it seemed that even when we were enemies there was some kind of mutual respect between us—something I never imagined would turn into romance.

"It's odd how things work, isn't it?"

-----

The rest of the evening was kind of fun, but it was hard to really enjoy it because of my fears over Aster. It certainly didn't help that Ollie was challenging me every chance he got. I took his presence more as an inconvenience then a problem, which seemed to only piss him off some more… Good.

I was content when I returned to my apartment. My mood returning to its original angst. It went away again when I reached my apartment door.

Aster was sitting in front of my apartment door, leaning his back against my door. His head was leaning against my door and his eyes were closed as he slept. My eyes drifted next to him—he had a black suitcase.

I should have woken him up and asked for an explanation. But his sleeping form was just as peaceful as it always was—and it made me smile. Honestly, my entire soul felt lighter, knowing he was back and waiting for me.

I bent down and swooped my arm under his legs, and balanced his lower back against my other arm. While I lifted him, the arm against his back moved up so I could cradle his whole frame. Aster's head rested against my chest.

He was heavier then I thought. Since Aster had a rather feminine build, I always figured he'd be light and easy to carry. But his muscle made him weigh more and more difficult to use my arms. I had trouble opening the door.

"You're not making this easy, are you kid?" I managed to finally open and push the door open. I carried him into my bedroom and gently laid him on my bed. I went back out to grab his luggage and brought it in, leaving it in the living room before I returned to the bedroom.

I sat on the bed, gently stroking his cheek. The fight still weighed on me— what was said, and how it was said. I would have never called Aster a tramp nor did I mean to. But whether I did or not, it hurt him—and I felt terrible for it.

"I'm sorry for everything." I whispered quietly.

Aster stirred and opened his eyes a bit. "So can I stay with you?"

He smiled at me; and the pain of the past few days seemed worth it.

"As long as you want."

_Sorry if this chapter seems poorly written, I had a hard time writing it. Thanks for the support!_


	10. fulfillment

Fun and Games

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Yu-gi-oh gx; I do own my own characters though.

Summery: It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. After a strange moment with Sartorius, Aster sees a side of Zane he's never seen before

Chapter 9: Fulfillment

**Aster's POV**

The morning sun shined down on my face. I flipped over to get away from it, but my mind was already running wild. I had to get up. I sat up and rubbed my eyes to get them to focus on the world around me. I remembered hating the plainness of Zane's room but after a few nights I had gotten use to it. And while I was away, I missed it. Now—it felt like I was home.

I felt a chill and I looked down to discover that my shirt was missing. Zane must of have done it for me. I should have been mad at him for undressing me without permission but...it was comforting to know I was back in his bed.

"Good morning." Zane was at the doorway, holding a white bag. He smiled as he approached the bed. "I didn't want to wake you so I just went and got some breakfast…Donuts are okay, right?"

He sat beside me on the bed and I smiled back. "They're fine…I'm just glad to be back."

"I guess so since you slept in so late." Zane kissed my cheek gently. "It was difficult to not take advantage of you." I knew he was teasing but my mood sank almost instantly.

I never did apologize for throwing Zane's virginity- or there of lack of—in his face. Yes, there wasn't really anything wrong with not being a virgin. But it was difficult when the other party was white as snow. Not only did it bother me sometimes, but it bothered him knowing he had experienced all the things that were new to me and somehow—they seemed less special. Maybe to him they did anyway, to me… they were wonderful regardless.

"Zane, we have to talk." I whispered.

"I know." He said, brushing the hair from my face. "I'm so sorry, Aster… I want you to know I never thought low of you…I could never think low of you."

I put my hand over his. "I know Zane, I've forgiven you…I'm just…sorry about what I said too. I know you're not a virgin." He cringed when I said that but I continued. "But I don't care how many people you've slept with in the past… As long as you're with me now, I'll take you as you are… But that's not why I wanted to talk…"

He interrupted me with a kiss—our first real one in days. I savored the taste for as long as I could before he pulled away, smiling at my apparent dream state. "Are you going to let me finish or not?"

"If you insist." I did. He couldn't distract me. It was too important, and it was giving him power.

"Zane, Sartorius came home and he brought Larius with him—they're together now." After I said it, he stared at me in confusion and what appeared to be anger. I continued on anyway. "I gave Sartorius a choice, and he picked Larius over me, so I moved out of the mansion."

His hand stiffened in mine and his animal nature showed for a second. He managed to bury it below his features once again; but I could tell he was still angry at Sartorius.

"I don't understand how that basturd…after all you've done for him…" He shook his head and brought me into his arms. I wanted to remind him that we were still having a conversation and I couldn't think when he held me this close—but his embrace was warm and comforting. And for this particular subject, I needed the comfort. "Do you need a place to stay?"

I nodded. "Until I get my own place anyway…It shouldn't be more then a week."

He pulled away gently to look at me. "Why not just stay here?"

"Permanently?" The words barely left my mouth. My shock over took me instantly. Every part of my brain told me this wasn't right. I couldn't just move in with Zane after the short time we've been dating. No matter how much I thought I loved him. It was too soon.

But…what did it matter in the long run? If I was destined to be with Zane, didn't it make more sense to move in now and move out only if it ended? And what about Sirena's prophecy? Could moving in with Zane complete it, or was I just fighting the evitable? There were so many things on my mind—and as they built up, I only became more and more confused.

"It's just a suggestion." He covered quickly. I had taken too long to respond; now he was afraid he was scaring me off. "I mean, just…you don't have to hurry, stay as long as you like."

Zane set the donuts on the end table and moved to get up. I caught his arm quickly. "Zane, it's not that I don't want to move in with you. Now's just a really bad time to decide…"

He thought about what I said and sat back down, relief instantly washed over me. "You're right… You have too much on your plate to decide right now—until you do, my home is your home." He smiled again and reached over for the donuts again. "Just get use to this kind of breakfast."

I didn't know what to do about my things back at the mansion. As far I was concerned, the more extendable items they could keep; I just wanted my clothing, my cards, and anything that had belong to my father. I didn't really trust any of my agents or lawyers to retrieve them since Sartorius hired them. Not to mention, I didn't expect Sartorius to receive them well either and I wasn't going to get them—whatever was left of our friendship had died the moment he brought Larius home. Yes, I felt a heavy amount of guilt. I hadn't been truthful about my relationship with Zane, but Zane wasn't the son of my father's murderer. So I had to send someone I could trust to go get them.

"Zane, do you have Jaden's number? I'm thinking of sending him over to get my belongings." I said outside the bathroom door. Zane had gone in to take a shower, but the water had stopped running fifthteen minutes ago.

"I might, Syrus does if I don't… Are you sure you don't just want me to get them?"

I rolled my eyes. "So you can start a fight with Sartorius? I'm trying to avoid conflict by not going myself." When he didn't respond, I wondered if I had said something wrong. It was odd since I didn't make a habit of caring about what other people thought of me. Of course, I didn't really act normal around Zane either. "Can I just come in? I hate talking to you through the door."

He paused for a minute before he answered. "Yeah, go ahead."

I proceeded with caution and opened the door slowly. I froze when I saw the reason he was reluctant to let me in.

He was taking the pills for his heart.

There were three containers spread across the bathroom sink—each of them about half empty. He was placing the cap back on a fourth container and smiled meekly—which was so not like Zane. It didn't take a therapist to figure out why he was so nervous- unsure of my response.

I had a mixture of conflicting emotions. Guilt knowing that it was his duel with me that had caused this, sadness that he would need these pills for the rest of his life, and amazement that he had let me see this.

"You take pills? I asked slowly. He nodded and I felt my heart sink even further into a sea of regret.

"I have to take them every night…" He said; putting the containers away as if to pretend they were never there. "As long as I take them, the doctor says I have a pretty good chance of living a long life."

"Just a chance?"

"It's a good chance." He corrected me fiercely. His words suggested something completely different then what he was saying. _Don't go there. _But I couldn't help it—I felt the words flow out like a confession.

"I did it to you."

He leaned against the sink and shook his head. "I was afraid you would blame yourself…"

"Well it's true!" My emotions exploded and the pain became too strong to keep in. He stood for the most part emotionless as I lamented. "I forced you into Dark Kaiser's skin. It wasn't ever intentional, but it happened and I don't know how I can forgive myself for it. Ever!"

"Aster, I trusted you enough to tell you this…Doesn't that count for something?" Zane asked. Suddenly, his voice got louder. "You didn't do this to me! You're not the one who made me duel in the underground; you're not the one who made me trust Shroud, and you're certainly not the one who made me wear electrodes. I did this to myself and no one else is to blame!"

It the look in his eyes that snapped me out of my break-down. He really did believe that it was his fault… The sense of regret thick as ice. "But… I was the reason you did it."

"Does it matter what my reason was? I know that if you could have, boyfriend or not, you would have stopped me. It was my own self-pity that destroyed me when I should have just dusted myself off and moved on. And I have to pay for those mistakes." He brought me into his arms and held me close. He planted a kiss on my forehead that was warm and welcomed even in my current state. "The last thing I want is for you to pay for them too."

It was odd—almost like the sun melting away the snow of winter. With that tender kiss I felt something inside burst and explode. Before I could stop it, the warm tears began falling down my face. I was bit embarrassed to cry. I wasn't a sentimental guy and crying was always a sign of weakness as far as I was concerned. The ache of my embarrassment was well worth the relief of forgiveness I decided.

"I love you." I managed to blunder through my sobs. He stroked my back.

"I love you too."

Soon a heat began building between us. Not sure where or how it began but suddenly I wanted him. The want raced through my body and caused my blood to boil.

I faintly remembered when Zane kissed me (after my supposed failed-attempt to seduce him). I remembered how I had never in life experience such a mixture of emotion and physical affection. After that, all my body wanted was for Zane to kiss me again and again. Now, my hunger had grown past a kiss. I needed more.

He looked into my eyes and knew what I was feeling. I don't know how he did, but he did. I kissed him slow and sensually as if to give him my permission. His hand left hand held my back so he could steady me, his right hand held the back of my head to bring me closer. His body was pressed against mine; my back was pressed against the sink. I made noises to get his attention.

He pulled away to hear me out. "Not here…In the bedroom."

Zane smiled a wicked smile that sent shivers down my spine. "Hero, by the time I'm done with you…The bedroom will be a distant memory."

**Zane's P.O.V.**

I woke up the next morning, my mind hazy and groggy from the previous night. When I completely wake up, I wonder if I'm actually dreaming.

Aster was lying in my arms, facing away from me. His right hand resting itself in my left one. My other hand resting against his chest. We're both naked with only the blankets to hide our natural figures. His skin is too vivid. My memory is too in tact. This isn't a dream. This was a sweet example of reality.

Last night was incredible. Even with Aster's inexperience and my nervousness about harming him; every touch and every moment was like a roaring fire that was inextinguishable. Even now, I felt like I wanted more.

I kissed his shoulder gently. I feel him tense under me and realize that he's slowly waking up. "Good morning." I growled.

He giggled lightly brought my hand to his face. "Wow…who knew getting laid could put you in such a great mood?"

"A lot of people actually." He turned on his back and smiled up at me. I smiled back and claimed his lips in a kiss. He grunted in pain and I stopped. "Something wrong?"

"Just a headache." He waved it off nonchalantly. "Just…a lot to handle I guess. I'm not a virgin anymore."

I could understand that. It was hard for me to handle too. Part of me was glad that the first awkward part of my sexual life was over—another part missed the ignorance of never knowing. Of having the experience to look forward to. "You're not sorry about that, are you?"

"Surprisingly…Not at all. I'm happy I'm not."

It was amazing to hear that from him. I had spent the entire night worrying about how this might affect him or if tomorrow would regret it. I had been as careful as I could be, hoping that the less pain I caused him, the more he would enjoy it. But he loved it all—he loved the sensations, the feelings, he even loved the pain a bit. To me, it meant everything to have him enjoy it.

I got out of bed and dug through my drawers for some clean clothes. "I was thinking maybe we could grab brunch. We might not beat the church crowd but…"

"Wait…Today is Sunday?" He asked. I raised an eyebrow and nodded. At first his face went blank, like he was trying to solve a math equation. Then a smile came across his face; one brighter than the one he had before. "Sounds great…but…I'd rather wait until lunch. So I can grab some more sleep, is that okay?"

"Yeah sure." I was going to ask him what great meaning Sunday bared for him but figured if it was important, he'd tell me. I grabbed my new clothes for the day and walked towards the door, when I heard him say.

"Zane…Thanks for last night…" He said softly, he then added. "I love you."

I felt myself go speechless; the words touched me in a way I couldn't understand. How could three simple words make a person feel so many things? "I love you too."

And I felt, for once in a very long time, as if everything was perfect.

**Hey, sorry it's taken so long to update. I'm really terrible at keeping to this :( But I intend to finish this story! Thank you to all of you who have read, continue to read, and have reviewed this story. Your patience is very appreciated. **


	11. In motion

Fun and Games

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Yu-gi-oh gx; I do own my own characters though.

Summery: It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. After a strange moment with Sartorius, Aster sees a side of Zane he's never seen before

Chapter 10: In Motion

**Zane's POV (since his last one was so short)**

Sunday passed by like a speeding roller-coaster. It felt different to actually live life rather then go through the motions. I had done that for a long time, and now my young lover had made me want to enjoy life again.

It was early afternoon when we left to have a late lunch. After lunch, he asked about stopping and picking up some newspapers, flyer, and pamphlets so he could find a new place to live. Every part of me want to insist that he stay with me, but Aster had already made up his mind. Besides, now that everything was finally quieting down; it might be good for him to have his own space to escape from the world.

"Look at this, Aster." I held up a flyer for a foreclosed rock star's mansion. He glanced at it briefly and shrugged.

"Since it's just going to be me, I can't really justify buying a big mansion." He responded. He scanned through a pamphlet about an apartment complex two blocks away from my building. "I'd like something kind of like your place—maybe a little bigger."

He had a point. I put the flyer down and continued the search. Eventually, something caught my eye—how could this be? It's simply too coincidental.

"Where did you and your father live again?" I asked.

"In the Miyazaki apartment complex, why?" It a little farther away from me then I would have liked, and it was a bit smaller then my apartment was, but this sign was too bold to ignore.

"They have apartments available there."

When we arrived there, the landlord unlocked the door to one of the higher apartments. It was a floor above where Aster and his father use to live but judging by Aster's expression when he saw it; it might has well had been the place where he used to live.

He looked with wide eyed wonder. "Oh my god…" He said breathless.

I nodded to the Landlord to give us a moment. He left the door open but walked away. I didn't mind; my focus was on Aster's apparent amazement and happiness. "Zane, this looks exactly like my old home—there's where my dad's drawing desk was. I use to sit and watch him by these steps!"

Aster sat down on the steps; for a split second, Aster was back in his childhood. He glowed like someone had given him the secret to true happiness, and it made my heart fly.

Then a frown set in. I didn't understand what had made him unhappy at first. The only clues I really had was the sorrowful way he stared at the floor. "The night he was murdered, my dad's body was right there." He whispered. I too frowned when I heard that. Shit, I'm such an idiot. How could he live in the same place his father was murdered? "It's…surreal."

"Ten years. A whole decade." I sat next to him on the steps. He leaned his head on my shoulder. I wrapped an arm around him, offering the only comfort I could. "I thought once I brought down the D. Sought my revenge; maybe it'd stop hurting. But it's been hurting a lot lately…almost as much as when he died. I thought it was because the D was still alive but….moments like this seem to hurt worse more than anything else."

"Maybe…maybe it's not suppose to stop hurting." His voice stuttered. He was afraid of what he was saying. "Maybe I'm suppose to always miss him – so I'll never forget him."

Despite my concerns, he put down a deposit for the apartment. To celebrate, we ate dinner in town. After desert, I was hoping to return to my apartment to perhaps have an encore. He seemed discontent with that idea.

"What? Were you expecting casual sex?" He smiled as we left the restaurant. "I don't see a ring on this finger."

I laughed at his joke and walked beside him. We were both rather uncomfortable with public displays of affection so this was nice. "Point taken. But… what are we suppose to do?"

He rolled his eyes. "Bored of me already?"

"Well, once you've had sex…anything else seems boring in comparison."

"Whatever, you're just a pervert." It was nice to have someone to joke with again. Someone who understood my humor anyhow. Alexis's always did, but somehow didn't seem to appreciate all of it. Atticus's sense of humor always baffled me, so naturally I had always assumed it was vice versa. Being with Aster made me less concern about saying something stupid because he knew when I was serious or when I teasing.

We ended up going to stores nearby the restaurant. It was evening then, but the lights from all the stores illuminated the sidewalk for us. He really didn't seem all that interested in the shops; but seemed satisfied enough just to walk with me.

We almost passed a jewelry shop, but I stopped and looked through the window. The displays were filled with beautiful jewels and metals. The idea struck me as being a bit cheesy, but I decided to do it anyway. "Hey Aster…"

"Hmm?" He turned and raised an eyebrow up at me. "What is it?"

I didn't answer him; I just walked into the shop. Inside it was typical—rows of glass displays with expensive jewelry in them. I heard the door close when Aster came in. "What are you doing?"

"Can I help you gentlemen?" The jeweler asked. I shook my head politely.

"Just looking at the moment." I turned to Aster. "See anything you like?"

His eyes widened. "You are not buying me jewelry!"

"Why not?"

"It's…It's not proper." He said; I figured that was probably the only response he could find. "It's too expensive to be gift."

Yeah, okay. "It's not like money's an object. I can get plenty more of it….You're my boyfriend, who else would I buy it for?"

"You're not buying it and that's final."

"Last chance." I warned. Suddenly, this had become a battle of wills. He told me I couldn't so now I had to.

"You're not buying—Zane!" I stopped listening to him and searched the cases, looking for something he would like.

My eyes fell upon a pocket watch. It was silver with a shining dark blue cover. There was a red phoenix, spreading its wings on the front. "I'd like to see that one please."

The jeweler obediently brought the pocket watch out for me to see it. He opened it to show the Roman numeral numbers. "You can also have something engraved on the inside."

I glanced at Aster, who was pouting in the corner. I mentally laughed. "Nah, I'll take as is. If he wants something engraved, we can always come back."

"Very good, sir. Cash or credit?"

"Cash." I answered, taking out my wallet. He counted the money when I handed it to him and presented me with the necklace in a velvet box. "Would you like this wrapped sir?"

"This is fine, thanks." I nodded and grabbed the box. Aster glared and followed me out of the jewelers.

"Shall I make this romantic?" I asked, taking the necklace out of the box. "Or just cut to the chase."

"I'm not taking it."

"You're being a brat."

"I told you I didn't want it." He said sternly. He was looking at it and I could tell he liked it. He looked at it like a child who wanted a puppy.

I rolled my eyes; non-romantic then. "I don't see why you have to make this so complicated. I bought for you as a gift. Gift!" I repeated, grabbing his hand and opening it. "And I did it because I wanted to be nice. Because for some screwed up reason, I enjoy having you around. I love you, Aster. That's all there is to it. Take the damn watch."

I put the necklace in his palm and closed his fist. He stared down at his hand; his mind conflicting with his morals and my request. Finally, he took the watch and held it up by the chain.

"It is pretty awesome." He looped the chain to make a necklace and draped it around his neck—making a beautiful necklace. He embraced me and sighed. "I love you too… you big idiot."

I was surprised that he hugged me in public. After a moment, I accepted the embrace. "A thank you would have sufficed."

"I thought it'd be making it easy on you if I did." He said. We held each other for a moment and then went back to our not intimate walk home. And I was perfectly okay with that.

Because for a moment it was just him and me. And anything else be damned.

**Aster's POV**

Monday night, Zane and I both had duels. At the duel arena we had practically been separated the entire night, something I wasn't use to after this weekend. Still, I got by, bent on keeping my independence while I worked.

I finished my duel quick and easy, as usual. Using move that I knew would send my sponsors drooling. Soon, I'd have to announce to the world that Sartorius would no longer be acting as my manager and I knew that I would have to prove that I could hold my own.

I finished the duel and smiled as my opponent was left crying in the dust. I turned off my duel disk and walked out of the arena. Listening as the fans screamed my name and reveled in my victory.

"Aster." My name was spoken when I exited the arena and I had entered the halls. It was Atticus Rhodes.

I felt uncomfortable even with his friendly smile. This was after all, Zane's much revered ex. "Great duel, man! It was super intense."

"Thanks." I managed to force out. "Um…are you up next?"

"Soon, yeah, I'm dueling my little sis tonight. Should be fun." As if he sensed my tenseness, he pulled back on the smile a bit. "Zane…told me you guys were going out."

He did now? I hinged and unhinged my jaw, formulating the chat I'd have to have with him later. Atticus misread me. "Look, I think it's great! It's been hard on Zane after we broke up…especially since I've been going out with Ollie."

"Ollie Duncan?" I asked. Honestly, he didn't seem like Atticus's type. At least Zane made sense because they had been friends back before Zane became this master of darkness. Ollie just seemed to mainstream dark for him. "Why would Zane care that you were going out with him?"

Atticus looked dumbfounded. Was there some kind of secret I should know here? "He didn't tell you?

"Tell me what?" Atticus looked at me, trying to decide whether or not to tell me. I grew angry; exactly what was Zane hiding from me? "Is this some secret about your little ron de vous with him, I already know about that so unless you're telling me that he's cheating on me with you, you can tell me anything." I meant the last part to come off as a joke, but my annoyance must have done other wise.

"No, no! Not at all. Zane and I are history man. He's not the type to cheat." Atticus said defensively. "It's just well… I was."

Wait? What? Atticus cheated on Zane? He had somehow left this part of the story out. I lowered my guard a bit much to Atticus's relief and listened as he continued. "Yeah, um… See, after our duel—you know, during the Hell Kaiser phase—when we got together, he felt guilty over what had happened to me during the duel. I forgave him but it didn't really mean anything because he couldn't forgive himself."

"Eventually, he started having nightmares about being Hell Kaiser again. I think they were about him killing Syrus or me in one these duels. It was hard for him to even stay in the same bed with me…Maybe once a week, he could do it. But it wasn't enough…. We were coming apart."

"Ollie during that time had been flirting with me. I had turned him down for the most part but…He was always there for me when Zane wasn't. He seemed to actually be happy when I was around. Eventually, Zane sensed that I was becoming distant and tried to sleep in the bed more often and take more of an interest. But it was too late…He still had nightmares, and I gave in and slept with Ollie."

I took in all the information and felt that old familiar guilt build up inside. If it wasn't for me, Zane never would have become Hell Kaiser. He and Atticus could have been happy together had I not turned him to the darkness. At the very least, he might have a fully functioning heart.

Atticus seemed concerned with my sorrow. "Look, I don't expect you to think less or more of me…Or even to like me for that matter. But well…I want you to know that Zane—well, he meant a lot to me. And there are times when I wished we could have worked out but… Looking at how happy he is now, well…Let's put it this way, he never smiled that much for me."

"He never would have been this happy with me. And I can tell he loves you a hell of a lot more than he ever did me." Atticus smiled gently. "He always said he didn't deserve me. But I think it was the other way around. I think he always deserved better than I could ever give him."

"Wow, um…Thanks." I said awkwardly. But I did mean it. I'm not sure if Zane ever would have told me about how Atticus cheated on him, or how the nightmares had ran his life. Somehow, hearing it from Atticus was better because it was unbiased. There was no pitiful covering up or over-compensation. Atticus spoke the truth; even if it was harmful to his character. And I respected that.

"Guess I'm on." Atticus said as he walked past Aster. "Nice watch by the way. See you around! You better treat my boy right."

I offered him a friendly wave before turning around and walking out. I opened the pocket-watch that Zane bought me and glanced at the time. I wanted to stay for Zane's duel, but it was getting late and I had to pack some things up for my move. He would understand; I'd buy some take-out on the way home to make it up to him.

I walked out; so far avoiding the press as the duels were going on. I'd have a limited window of opportunity to leave before break-time. I pulled out my phone and called a driver to come pick me up.

"Yes hi, I need someone to come pick me up as…" I stopped because a car horn was screaming into the night. I could barely hear myself think over the noise. "What? I'm sorry I can't hear you some…"

The honk sounded again—only it was much closer. I looked up and nearly dropped my phone. The warning I got that the car was going to hit me was the blinding lights. I tried to run but it was too late.

I can't remember much other than the agonizing pain and the deep blackness that consumed me soon after. I knew the most of the pain came from my right side, where the car must have hit me. I knew I must have rolled over the car instead of under because nothing was crushed (not including the pocket watch which was broken to pieces when I landed). I heard the bones break and the wind escape my body as I chocked and gasped for its return. I heard someone scream; even a few people call my name.

My memory was otherwise hazy and would remain so to this very day. Yet, I could recall faintly thinking about how the last few months of my life should have by all means been a living hell. About how I'd lost the only family I'd ever known, come face to face with the D once again, and had betrayed on two occasions by someone I had considered my best friend.

But I had also turned eighteen, revisit the favorite places of my childhood, had my first drink, kiss, and sexual encounter, and finally fallen in love. There for, the last few months had not been so bad. In fact, they could be considered the best of my life.

And if I lost it all now; then it would once and for all prove that destiny was a cold-hearted bitch.


	12. Disease

Fun and Games

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Yu-gi-oh gx; I do own my own characters though.

Summery: It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. After a strange moment with Sartorius, Aster sees a side of Zane he's never seen before

Chapter 11: Disease

**Zane's POV**

I was tightening the tape around my arm (to ease the weight of the duel disk on my forearm) as I sat in the locker room. On the t.v., Aster was finishing his duel with the same eloquence and spirit that he always carried. For a moment I recalled the first time we dueled—what I had believed to be the first time we met until later on.

It was far from love at first sight. In fact, I thought rather low of Aster when we first met. There was no instant attraction, only the clash of two competitors. He was smug, arrogant, and somewhat annoying. Then again, he was only 15 at the time—he was still growing.

And he had grown. Then he was angry, destructive, kind of like an angel of death bent on destroying everything in his path. His only real concern was finding his father's killer and nothing else. He was angry then; sad too.

If you had asked me that night if I would ever consider dating Aster, I would have laughed. It was funny now because honestly, I was completely taken with him. It was crazy; but considering all that happened between us, it was worth it.

Ollie Duncan walked through the door of the locker-room. Wearing one of his A for Anarchy shirts and tight pair of leather pants. He was trying to be cool but to me, Ollie just pissed me off. I tried to push it from my mind but there was something odd about him. More then usual anyway.

He saw me and smiled. Not one of those 'hey, great to see you' smiles, but one of those 'I'm going to knock you off my pedestal" smiles. He had given me a similar look the night after he slept with Atticus and it made me unsure. What the hell did that little basturd have planned?

"Hello Zane, getting ready for your duel?" He asked. That was another strange thing. Ollie never spoke to me. The most he had ever said to me was 'You don't deserve him." In regards to Atticus, other than that, Ollie never spoke much at all.

I didn't respond, finding his question too stupid and suspicious to address. He walked over and patted me on the shoulder—I wanted to tear his arm off. "Come on, Zaney—it's a nice night. No reason to get all bitchy with me."

I grabbed his wrist and turned to face him, just so he could see the look on my face. "If you ever call me that again—I will crush you like the annoying little bug you are."

His face was indifferent for a moment; but then appeared amused. "Well, well no need to get mean. I was just trying to be nice, you know, since Atti thinks so highly of you."

I might never call Atticus by that nickname again; just because he used it. He gave me a fake-questioning look. I growled and released his wrist. "Just leave me alone Ollie."

He rubbed his wrist. I hadn't left any marks as tempted as I was to do so. But I wanted to do something to wipe that creepy smile off his face. His smug stance only made this desire worse. "You know; I can't blame you for wanting to hold to Atticus for as long as you did. I mean, he's funny, talented, and really sexy. You got to love his brown eyes."

"Although…" He laughed a bit when he started, making me wonder if he was going insane. "I hear you go for blue eyes now."

I glanced his way, the anger now free from its lovely little cage. By that time Ollie was waving goodbye as he walked out of the locker room. _That bitch_, who told him? Atticus? It must have. Either way, his actions and words were spelling out one clear message. He was going to use Aster to 'put me in my place'.

That was unacceptable.

I left the locker room and glanced around, looking for either Aster or Ollie. I would have preferred Aster. But he was no where in sight. I didn't have much time to look.

I felt a bony hand grab my shoulder. I brushed it away, having no time for his particular beef with me. He grabbed me again; this time Sartorius forced me to face him.

"Where's Aster?" His voice was a mixture of fear and haste.

"I don't know, but you need to let me go so I can find him."

"Did you have sex with him yesterday?" What kind of a question was that right now? "Don't give me that look, my sister told me everything. I need to find him before it happens!"

"Before what happens?" I shouted back.

"Sartorius!" It was his sister, Sirena. She ran to us in a state of panic. Tears were running from her eyes, and kept coming like a break dam. When she reached her brother, he caught her in an embrace. She sobbed uncontrollably.

It was then I realized that we had been trying to prevent the same thing. Under different notions maybe, but the same thing. And my stomach turned when I realized why she was crying. We had failed to stop it.

"Aster was hit by the car." She managed to choke out. "I too late to catch him. I saw…"

I could hear the tone of her voice but nothing else see said. Everything was becoming blurry to me. The only thing I could hear were the beats of my heart slowing down. Bump- Bump….Bump-Bump…Bump… Then it stopped. My chest was crushing itself and a sharp pain expelled itself throughout my body. I clenched my chest, begging it to start up again—remain strong until I could assure Aster was safe.

But he was hit by a car. What were the chances of surviving that? Not very high. More likely, he would dead in a matter of hours. In a logical state of mind, I might have had better calculations or at the very least, handled that information well enough. With my mind hazy and my heart killing me—I gave into and accepted my outcome.

"AHH!" I managed to scream and then tumbled down to my knees and then laid sprawled across the floor. Sartorius was the first person to get to me—I heard him yelling something about getting an ambulance or an A.E.D. but I felt my consciousness slipping away. I reached for his coat and spoke breathlessly. "Dun…Can."

Then, my world turned black.

**Aster's POV**

This wasn't my home, or my room, or my bed. .. I could feel someone's hand in my own. Zane? No. Too feminine. I realized my body was returning its sense one sense at a time. My sense of touch came back first, then hearing (mainly beepers and various other machines), then finally, I allowed myself to open my eyes.

"Sartorius, Syrus! He's waking up, again!" The hand pulled itself away. _Sirena_. It took a minute for everything to come in focus—it was damn hard with this raging headache. I saw Sirena first, sitting in a chair beside my bed. Her hair carelessly pulled away from her red face. She had been crying.

Sartorius stood beside her, watching me with marvel and amazement. Syrus, Zane's little brother, stood at the end of the bed, looking tired and rundown. I saw a paper clenched in his hands but my mind wondered more important things. Where is Zane?

I tried to sit up, but my body screamed in misery. For a minute I couldn't breathe but when I laid back down it somehow balanced itself again. Everyone assured me it was better to lay in the awkward, head up position then try and sit up on my own. "What happened? Why am I in the hospital?"

"You were hit by a car Aster…" Sirena said gently. The memory of the pain hit me, rather I probably hurt this much already and just didn't realize how much until I heard the reason. "Someone meant to hit you. They were speeding and swerved off the road to hit you. Thankfully, you landed on your side; your ribs got most of the damage….There wasn't even any serious internal bleeding."

Yeah, thank god for small miracles huh? "Where's Zane?"

Syrus tensed at the end of the bed. I looked to him for answers. Why would Syrus be here instead of him? Unless.

My heart skipped a beat. Unless something happened to him. "Where's Zane? Syrus where is he?"

Syrus looked to Sartorius for help. Whatever happened, he didn't want to say it. Finally Sartorius looked at me seriously. "Aster, he had an aneurysm. The stress of you being hit made his blood pressure spike and caused it rupture. They had to do surgery."

He had to have surgery? And I wasn't there to help him? Although in a way, it was my fault he needed it in the first place. "He would have needed it eventually anyway." Syrus explained, sensing the guilt I started to feel. "Your hit and run just so happened to be the thing to push it over the edge. He survived the surgery."

I then realized that the sun was flashing against the curtains. "How long ago was it?"

"Two nights ago. You've been slipping in and out of conscious. This is the longest you've been up." Sirena explained.

"It's the only time I remember being up." I added.

"They switched pain medication. Until now, you've been dosed with high amounts of morphine." Sartorius explained.

My eyes were still focused on Syrus. "Why aren't you with him? When can I see him?"

"It's not good for him to have a lot of visitors." Syrus said almost apologetically. "He's in an induced coma right now, so he could sleep through the pain. Before he went out, he told me to stay with you."

I was touched; in his moment of weakness, he had sent brother to be with me. It reminded me of the Phoenix pocket watch. Panic over came me suddenly. "The watch…" I said weakly. "Where's my pocket…"

"Broken." Sartorius said sadly. My soul was being crushed—first I get hit, then Zane has an aneurysm, and now the gift Zane had so thoughtfully given me was destroyed. "I tried to pick up the pieces thinking maybe we could fix it but… There were just too many, not even the cover remained in tact. Aster, I'm so sorry."

Anger flared within me. Deep inside, I knew it wasn't fair, but I started going off. "No, you're not. You hate Zane because I loved him and not you! Both of you did!" Sartorius filched as if I had just shocked him. Sirena looked close to crying again. "You both spoke of this great and terrible evil prophecy, but how do I know that you didn't just throw it together to try break us apart?"

"Do you know how ridiculous and ungrateful you sound?" Sartorius roared suddenly. "Ever since I told you I loved you, you've been keeping your distance and trying to deal with it. You've been so preoccupied with your feelings; you didn't consider mine or Sirena's. Yet, you have the gull to yell at us when we've spent the past few days by your side. Barely sleeping and hardly eating."

I was shocked by Sartorius's outburst, considering he was always so quiet. I didn't bother yelling back, I just leaned back and closed my eyes. "Just go, okay? All of you."

Sartorius shook his head in rage. He helped Sirena out of her chair and walked out of my room. When I opened my eyes, Syrus was still there. For whatever reason he was angry too.

He threw the paper he was holding on his lap. "Jaden said I shouldn't show this to you. But I think you have to see to see it."

I brought the paper to my eye level.

Just when things couldn't get any worse.

The paper was titled _Aster Phoenix's Hit and Run; Revenge of an Angry Lover? _I read what it said carefully. It detailed how I had been seen recently with Zane Truesdale, known bi-sexual duelist and had planned to fire Sartorius my supposed former lover. It went on to say that the main suspect was Larius Gables, who was not only the D's son, but also Sartorius's lover. It was pieced together like a terrible novel. But people knew it was true.

I sighed; part of my fan base would leave over this. The girls who assumed they stood a chance, the people who didn't believe gay relations were okay (those I didn't care so much about) and now, the heavy amount of people who liked duelist that were more about the cards then the press. It all kind of seemed like small potatoes- I'd be able to get through this once it blew over and Larius was arrested. But it'd be difficult to do so until I was healed and healthy.

"Do you know what Sartorius did after he read this? He broke up with Larius." Syrus said.

"So? The psycho tried to kill me." I answered with a growl. "He deserves to be in jail, along with what's left of his father."

Syrus rolled his eyes. "Yeah, accept he didn't believe that Larius did it! We all didn't. He's been so distraught because of his father's death; he's barely been alive lately."

"The D's dead?" I asked quietly. Could it be true? I had believed it for so long, you would have thought I'd been use to the idea by now. For whatever reason, it seemed incomprehensible at the moment.

"That's not the point." Syrus said, refusing to drive away from what he was saying. "The point is that Sartorius broke up with him because he wanted to stay close to you while you were healing, and he knew you would blame Larius for what happened."

"And he's been miserable. Not just because of what happened to you, but because he's been alone in it. He loved Larius, and you did everything in your power to try and break them apart like you accused them of doing to you and my brother….Maybe not intentionally, but you did."

I've had enough. I liked life better when I was asleep. I tried to press some weight on to my left side. It was comfortable enough to sleep along with the pain medicine. "You did your job. You can leave now."

I could feel Syrus release a frustrated sigh. I guess I couldn't blame him. He was only trying to get his point across, and I was refusing to listen. Not to mention, he wasn't very good at confrontations to begin with.

He made one last attempt. "Suppose we're right and the person who did this to you is still out there…As long as he is, you're not the only one in danger. My brother is too."

With that, Syrus left and slammed the door shut. It echoed through my brain and caused another headache. I just closed my eyes and tried to sleep again. It hurt less when I slept.

It was easier to forget everything when I slept.

The hours passed by as I drifted in and out of sleep. My mind was half focused on Zane, the other half too drugged up to care. I felt like I was slipping into a depression. All I wanted to do when I was awake was sleep, and when I slept, all I could see was darkness. Again, I was too drugged up to dream.

Something changed though. In the middle of the night, I didn't wake up from my own devices. The door had opened.

I could see a figure near the door, but not exactly who. They stepped into the room and closed the door behind them. Now I couldn't see a thing I was defenseless.

I heard the steps come closer, and reached for a near by object, anything. Something to keep me safe if this person wasn't a friend. I managed to grab the alarm clock but my visitor grabbed my wrist and covered my mouth. "Put it down, please just put it down."

I recognized the voice instantly. It was Larius Gables.


	13. Alliance

Fun and Games

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Yu-gi-oh gx; I do own my own characters though.

Summery: It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. After a strange moment with Sartorius, Aster sees a side of Zane he's never seen before

Note: Recently, I've received reviews commenting about the spelling errors in the story. I apologize if this has provided an inconvenience to anyone and although I have yet to get a beta, I will be rereading through the story and searching for errors I've missed while typing. Thank you to everyone for bringing this to my attention in a polite manner and for continuing to read this story despite the errors :)

Note 2- It's going to be Aster's POV for a little while; Zane's POV won't be as long whenever he does one for the next couple chapters. This will not be for the entire story.

Note 3- Sorry for so many notes but I'm going to try something out. When I break to a different part of the story, I will use () to do so.

Chapter 12: Alliance.

**Aster's POV**

I tried to scream, but all that came through Larius's hand was muffled moans. I tried to hit him with the alarm clock, but it only served to inflame my injuries. He struggled to keep my hand down.

"Stop it. Cut it out. Stop and listen to me! If you promise not to scream or knock my brains out, I'll let you go okay? I don't want to hurt you; I just want you to hear me out." Yeah okay, like I believed that. As far as I know, this was the guy that hit me with a car two days ago. Never the less, I nodded and put the alarm clock down on the side table. Larius relaxed and released his grip on me. Once he was away from me, I scrabbled for the call button. Even with my eyes now use to the dark, I couldn't find it near by.

"I figured you would do that so I unplugged it." Larius said somewhat unamused. "I told I was just here to talk and I meant it."

I leaned against the head of the bed. My side was hurting terribly again. My medication was wearing off. I decided to take it out on him. "Why should I believe anything you say? You tried to kill me! You're no better than your father."

Larius clenched his fist, which made me nervous. He got really close to my face and spoke through gritted teeth. "Never ever! Compare me to my father. I am nothing like him. I'm not the one who murdered poor innocent people for my own personal gain, I'm not the one who left my starving child and wife without a penny to live on, and I'm sure as hell not the one who ignored his son for years after finding a more profitable child to live off of."

The venom in his voice was hard to miss. Wow, Larius hated his father almost as much as I did. Maybe more and that said a lot coming from me. "So what would you call what you did to me? Righteous payback? 'No one messes with daddy except for me' was that your mentality?"

"I didn't hit you, Aster!" He snapped. He closed his eyes and regained his composer. He unclenched his fist and moved away from my face. "Look, I honestly don't care what you think of me, okay? If you want to hate me, then it's no skin off my back. But when there are allegations out against me, saying that I hit you? That's when I care. You need to tell people that I didn't do it, tell Sartorius you know I didn't."

I looked at him; I saw how confused and desperate he was. I still wasn't totally convinced but now I just wasn't so sure Larius was to blame. Maybe the desperation came from him wanting to get Sartorius back.

But perhaps Syrus had been right. Maybe I didn't have the right to tear apart my friendship with Sartorius over Larius. How was I any better than Sirena and Sartorius for hating Larius? I was worse. I really didn't know Larius well enough to say if he was evil or terrible.

It was then I remembered part of the prophecy Sirena had told me. It was seemed so long ago that it almost gave me a headache to remember it word for word.

_My brother's heart will be compromised and agony will ensure. _Sartorius had been forced to give up his chance of true love just to remain by my side—the person who rejected him and treated him like a stranger for confessing confused feelings. I was too preoccupied with Zane to ever consider Sartorius's feelings. I knew he hated that I was with Zane; and hated that I lied to him even more.

_Only you will be able to bring peace, and that will come with great sacrifice. _I had always figured that this great sacrifice had something to do with Zane or Sartorius. I never once considered that it would be a personal sacrifice. Maybe I had to give up my pride to end this. Maybe I had to let go of the stupid vendettas of my past.

Maybe…I needed Larius to make this right.

"Larius, go get my clothes and fetch me a wheelchair." I told him. He jumped back and gave me an odd look. He seemed to be somewhere in between surprised and anxious.

"Um, you were hit by a car, are you sure that's a wise plan?"

"I'm giving you a chance to prove your innocence. To do that, I need to get out of here. So, you have two choices. You can do what I asked or…I can start screaming for help."

He looked at me thoughtfully, trying to decide whether or not I was joking. When I opened my mouth to scream, he bolted towards the door. "Alright, I'm going… You promise you're not going to call for someone while I'm gone?"

"Lars, buddy." I said in a friendly tone. "If you want me to trust you, you're gonna have to trust me."

He didn't look relieved, but he must have decided to take his chances. I stopped him before he could leave, having one last request on my mind. "Oh and…bring whatever's left of my pocket watch too."

He nodded and left the room. I almost fell asleep again before he came back but forced myself to stay awake. I couldn't waste any time. Larius returned with all the things I had requested, including my broken pocket watch which was now in a see-through zip block bag.

"Here, I got the stuff you wanted. It wasn't easy though, there's a nurse guarding the halls." He explained. I accepted everything and formulated an escape plan.

"Alright, then I'll have to wait until later to put my clothes on. Help me into the wheel chair." Larius moved the wheelchair up against my bed. He grabbed my hand and put his other hand against my back. Despite him providing me with perfect stability, the pain was shooting up through my body. It started with the right side of my stomach and landed somewhere between the middle or right side of my chest. My headache was becoming more tolerable as I let it pass through. I bit my lip to stop myself from making a lot of loud noises. I was in a sitting up position when Larius stopped.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" He asked again. I glared at him and spoke in between rugged breathes.

"Just keep going and don't stop until I'm in that damn chair." We both silently counted to three before he moved me again. The pain continued in waves but eased when I found my place in the chair. I breathed a relieved sigh. I hid my things at my side."Okay, we're going to leave, but first I want to stop by Zane's room. Do you know where it is?"

"No, but the Cardio wing isn't far from here….We can look for him there." Larius pushed the wheelchair out of the room, heading towards the right hall. Everything was still aching but if I rested enough in between, I figured I might be able to move around enough to get to where I wanted to be. That was wishful thinking though.

I had put all my eggs in one basket. I was trusting a man (whom I hated not that long ago) with my life, based merely on an instinct. I could only hope I was right to so.

My heart paused when I saw a nurse standing down the hall. I knew Larius was getting nervous too. I forced myself to sit up straight and smile. I had to remain calm for this to work. "Just follow my lead." We wheeled forward, and the Nurse stopped us as I expected.

"Whoa, sir do you know what time it is?" She asked. She was rather young, not much older than I was. I kept my smile big and put on my celebrity charm.

"Yes ma'am I do, I just wanted to get out for a little while with my friend here."

"Visiting hours were over 2 hours ago." She stated, glaring down Larius whose hands were causing the chair to shake. "He shouldn't be here, and you should be in bed."

"Well, we can't pull anything on you can we?" I said, trying to sound more sad than sarcastic. It was time to do a little acting. A frown spread across my face, and I spoke quietly. "See, miss…They don't want this to get out but… I'm dying."

She raised an eyebrow. She was interested in what I was saying, but wasn't quite ready to buy yet. "Dying?"

"Yeah, any day now… And all I want is to glance upon the stars once more before I die—so my friend agreed to sneak in and help me." I sighed heavily and motioned for Larius to turn me around. His shaking had stopped once he caught on to my story. "But I understand; it'd be too risky for you to let me pass. So we'll go back, just please don't get my friend in trouble."

Larius started to turn me. Going once, going twice…"Wait," Sold! "Look, I get off at midnight, just be back before then okay?"

My wheelchair turned back around and I bowed my head carefully. "Thank you! You're very kind ma'am. I promise I'll be back at the stroke of midnight." Larius moved us past very quickly, not giving her a chance to reconsider.

"I'm…rather impressed." Larius commented as we made our way to Cardio. "I didn't think you had it in you to lie."

"Well, when you grow up an orphan. You learn to tell who's lying and who's not and…and along those lines, you learn how to lie." I stated matter-of-fact like. He seemed to take it a bit more personally.

"Well, I know I've said it before but I am really sorry that my dad killed your dad. He did a lot of terrible things in his life but…I never once expected him to kill anybody."

What was I suppose to say to that? It's alright? No hard feelings? No, because it wasn't alright. I would always hate the D for what he did to my father. But I guess in a way, that didn't mean I had to hate Larius.

"It's not your fault your dad's an asshole." I simply stated. I wondered if he expected me to apologize for the way I treated him. Not yet. Not until I found who really did this.

"I second that." Was all he said about the subject, and all he expected out of me for the moment. I saw a sign above us that said Cardio wing. I looked at the name plates, looking for my boyfriend. "Is that it right there?"

The door was open door, but I faintly saw Truesdale on the name plate hanging on the door "Yeah, that's it…"

We entered quietly. When I saw Zane in his bed, I could hardly believe it was him. He looked like he was barely alive. His skin was pale and unhealthy looking. I couldn't see him breathe, but I was across the room. I heard the even beeps on the machine next to him—each one measuring the life of his weak heart.

"Could you push me closer?" I said barely above a whispered. Larius pushed me closer to the bed. As I got closer, Zane's status had upgraded from 'corpse-like' to 'crappy looking'. Not much of an upgrade. He looked completely breakable. A tear rolled down my face and I wiped it away. Now was not the time to get all emotional. He needed me to figure out who did this to him. To both of us.

"Do you need a minute?" Larius asked quietly. I shook my head.

"This won't take long." I took the bag with my pocket watch in it and placed it on Zane's end table. The watch would serve as a symbol. He might not get it, but eventually he would understand. I was beaten and broken too; but I was still here. "Zane, I don't know if you can hear me but…Don't worry about me, okay? I'm fine, just concentrate on getting better."

I took his hand (which was cold and limp) and pressed my lips to it. Maybe that would inspire him to wake up sooner, maybe it wouldn't. At the very least, I hoped he would feel it and know I was here.

"I'll see you when you wake up." I promised. And this time, I hoped it wouldn't be a lie.

()

Larius pulled his car around when we exited the hospital. It was easier for me to move into the car now that my body had gotten use to moving again. My muscles still ached but it was becoming more and more bearable as we drove into Domino.

"So, where are we going exactly?" Larius asked. "I don't know if you really have a plan but…"

I tuned Larius out and thought it through. He was the only person who really had any motive to kill me. Zane might have in a past life, like when he was Hell Kaiser, but he was my boyfriend now. Besides, if that was the case, he wouldn't have given himself an aneurysm over it. Sartorius may have been mad at me, but I didn't believe for a minute he'd hurt me despite what I accused him of.

But what about Zane? Maybe someone knew he had heart problems and knew he was dating me. So they used me to make Zane's heart give out. And honestly, who didn't hate Zane in his Hell Kaiser days? He was a jerk. Simple, plain, flat-out jerk. He didn't care who he hurt, it was all winning. I shivered at the idea of dating that Zane; thank god he got away from that a long time ago.

It made sense though, and I think I knew where to go to find out.

"Turn left here." I said suddenly. "We're going to the underground."

()

"Hey, are you going to be able to get out? Larius asked when he parked the car. The club where illegal dueling took place towered over us. "It might be hard for you to inspire fear in someone's heart when you're sitting in a wheelchair."

I wasn't scaring anyone anyway. I kept the hospital pajama bottoms on, but switched shirts with Larius since his was a buttoned up shirt and hurt less to put on. My shirt proved to be too small for him, so he was only wearing his wife-beater. Not too abnormal around here, but his other features weren't going to keep the ghouls away.

"If I lean on you, I might be okay to walk." I concluded.

"Might be?" He asked unsurely. I shrugged and smiled.

"We've come this far, might has well try it." I said. Larius rolled his eyes and got out of the car. He came to my side. He wrapped his arms around my back and under my other arm. I let him lift me a bit at first so I could conserve my energy; and then I applied my own weight.

It burned like boiling water. Everything stung. It grew more and more painful as I applied weight. My breath was becoming uneven but I manage to overcome any loud yelps or noises. I managed to push most of my weight against Larius and was standing tall. Larius appeared uncomfortable, but he could deal with it.

He slammed the car door shut and we made our way around the building. "So, this was where your boyfriend got his start?"

"No, he started in the pro leagues—I was his first duel." I wasn't necessarily ready to open that can of worms, but felt that I at least owed Larius a reason to come here. "After I beat him, he went on some physiological losing streak and ended up here. He was able to get back in the pro leagues because of the underground." But not for free. It cost him a pretty penny actually. I thought back to when Zane showed me his collection of heart medication. He had told me that with the medicine he stood a chance of living a long healthy life. _A good chance _he had said. I hoped that the aneurysm that my injuries caused didn't affect those chances.

"Oh, I see, so you think he's made some enemies here?"

"That'd be my best guess." I said as we came to the entrance; a metal door. Larius knocked his fist against it. A little window slid open with too beady eyes peering through.

"You here for the… Holy shit, you're Aster Phoenix!"

Oh good, my name still carried weight even with the bottom feeders. "Yeah, think we could get in?"

"Yeah sure." The guy giggled stupidly which made me confused. He glanced towards Larius. "So is he like your fuck buddy or something? Don't you have enough of those?"

I felt the anger boil inside of me. It was almost enough to make me ignore the pain and give him a serious piece of hurt. Larius, much to my surprise, stuck up for me. "Make another comment like that, and I'll shove something broken up your ass, got it?"

The guy's eyes amazingly, shrank. "Yeah, got it." He closed the little window and started unlocking the door.

"Thanks." I said to Larius. He laughed quietly.

"Well, we're in a different world now; we have to throw our weight around somehow." For once, I agreed with him. The idiot on the other side let us through and we joined the dark pitiful world known as the underground dueling ring.

I was sickened to find just how many people were there. Cheering and laughing as two poor souls shocked and fought themselves for a one-way ticket to hell. Some of the people looked at Larius and I with the same opinions as the guard. I wondered if that was from what they read in the papers or if it was from me leaning on Larius. Either way, I tried to suppress the anger I felt.

It was a rare occurrence when I was glad my father wasn't around for this. He never would have believed that I had multiple boyfriends or that I was some kind of publicity whore. But he would have gone through the pain of accusations and the rumors.

He might have been proud of what I was doing now. Sacrificing my strength and pride to help all the people I cared about. Being out-going and proud of my sexuality, even in the face of those who didn't approve. I could only hope so; any other thought would break my heart.

I glanced around, looking for someone who seemed suspicious. It appeared to be a wild goose chase. Zane rarely talked about his underground days and the people he came across. I could hardly blame him for that but it was difficult to search for a criminal you knew nothing about.

Then, only what I could describe as a miracle occurred. "Hey Aster, isn't that Ollie Duncan?" Larius asked me. I looked into the direction he in which he was nudging. Sure enough, it was Ollie Duncan professional duelist.

"What's he doing in a place like this?" I whispered. Then it was like I was struck by lighting. Sweet angry realization hit me and I felt my heart race.

Atticus _knew _I was dating Zane.

Atticus _is_ dating Ollie.

Atticus _cheated _on Zane with Ollie.

Atticus _could_ have accidently told Ollie about me and Zane.

And Ollie was _using_ that to get revenge.

It was the only reason the snobbish Ollie Duncan would ever be sitting in a dank place filled with pathetic losers. People who probably weren't Hell Kaiser's biggest fans.

It was clear as day. Ollie was the one who had me ran over.


	14. Survival

Fun and Games

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Yu-gi-oh gx; I do own my own characters though.

Summery: It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. After a strange moment with Sartorius, Aster sees a side of Zane he's never seen before

Note: I'm afraid I'll have to apologize for any grammatical errors in this chapter. I didn't get the time to read through it once more. I hope you enjoy the chapter anyway!

Chapter 13: Survival

I wanted to kill him. My soul was reaching out for him. It wanted to crush him into little pieces for what he had done. I didn't feel the pain anymore; only sheer hatred. I wanted to kill Ollie Duncan.

"Hey, cool it!" Larius whispered sharply. He held on to me to stop me from falling forward. He took a look in Ollie's direction and raised an eyebrow. "Do you think…?"

"I know he did." I answered through my teeth. "Zane and his boyfriend use to be an item and he tried to kill Zane by using me."

Larius's eyes narrowed in disgust. Whatever star struck wonder he may have had was gone. "Who's the guy he's sitting with?"

There was a man sitting across from him. He didn't have a lot of defining features. I saw glasses under a black top hat and a matching coat. "I don't know, but we have to get closer."

Larius nodded in agreement and we searched for a table near by. There was none. I glanced up and saw people leaning against the banister above Ollie's table. Perfect. I motioned towards the banister so Larius could see the eagle-eye spot. He moved us there quickly and leaned me against the banister. I pushed my weight against it (my pain fully intact once the anger subsided slightly) and listened carefully.

"You're being reckless!" His company said with a quiet southern voice. "I know you hate Truesdale more than I do, but what if he comes out of his coma? He knows you're the one who caused it and it will all lead back to me!"

Ollie appeared to be calm about the situation; at least more so than his friend. "Relax, Shroud… I've got it handled."

"I fail to see how!" The man, supposedly named Shroud said. "You told me Zane would be dead by Monday night, yet as we speak he's in the hospital just as alive as that brat I ran over to put him there." So, Ollie had gotten someone else to do his dirty work—someone who wanted Zane to pay as much as Ollie did.

"See, we all make mistakes…If I had it my way, Zane's little bed-buddy would be in a ground right next to him." Ollie said. My hands clenched on to the banister. I was imagining them around Ollie's neck. "Maybe if you had killed him, Zane would have died from the shock of it all. But no worries, I told you. I have it taken care of."

"How?"

Ollie sneered as he went over his plan. "Atticus is going to visit Zane tomorrow morning, 8 a.m. sharp. While he's there, I've hired an orderly to drug his IV so his heart-rate will increase. Zane's heart won't be able to take it. He'll die and Atticus will be able to contend that I was never near him."

His partner seemed impressed. "Well, that could work… But you're really going to make you're boyfriend watch his friend die?" He made it sound as if he didn't trust Ollie to go through with the plan. I heard no concern for Atticus anywhere in Shrouds voice.

"Yes, but it's not as if I'll enjoy it… I love Atti more than anything in this world, but as long as Truesdale is around, he'll never be mine completely. Not when I supposedly 'ruined' their relationship. Zane treated him like shit but it's my fault they broke up? And what about you Shroud? Didn't you get him off his feet when he was on a losing streak? And how did he repay you? He threw you out like a piece of trash." I've hated people in my life, lots of people. But anything I may have considered hate seemed like annoyance compared to what Ollie felt for Zane. Every time he spoke Zane's name it sounded like he was ill, and every time he heard it, his face wrinkled in contempt. "The world will go on just fine without Truesdale there to ruin anyone's life."

Ollie flipped open his phone and typed on it. He appeared so calm and callous, as if he wasn't discussing a murder plot. "The world will go on just fine without Truesdale there to ruin anyone else's life."

"Come on…" I said suddenly to Larius, I was tired of hearing them bemoan about Zane. "Let's get out of here before they find out we heard them."

I shifted my weight back on to him and Larius and I walked towards the door. The pain stuck me a little harder this time, but I think that was because we were moving a little faster. "We have to get back to the hospital and stay with Zane until the orderly Ollie hired is found… I can't believe he could do something like this!" Larius seemed glared at the body guard as we walked past him, daring him to comment like he did earlier. He didn't.

"I can, Ollie's a big crazy jerk. And after we make sure Zane's okay, we'll make sure everyone knows it." We walked up the ally towards Larius's car. I stopped when I felt a temperature change; or at least it felt like one. Somehow the air felt colder. Something wasn't right.

What if Ollie had friends out here? What if they saw us enter the club? And what if Ollie saw me watching over him like a hawk? He knew what I looked like. And he knew I would try to stop him.

And therefore, he'd try to stop me and in my current condition I wouldn't be able to fight it. I wouldn't even be able to run. But I couldn't let them kill Zane either. I'd give myself up before that happened. And that's what I intended on doing.

_Only you will be able to bring peace, and that will come with great sacrifice. _I wondered if Sirena had seen this part of our future (now present). I hoped she did. Because she may be the only ally Larius has when he gets out.

"When they come to get us, leave me behind." I murmured.

"What?" Larius asked, probably wondering if I had hurt my brain when I was hit.

"Leave me behind. Get your car and get out of here as fast as you can. Go to the hospital, stay with Zane and call for help." I said it clearly and with no emotion. The way a hero should have said such things.

Larius's eyes seemed to weigh with sorrow. "But…you could get killed."

"And if you don't leave me behind, all three of us will die! This is our only chance. So when they come to get us. Push me down, push me towards them. I don't care. Just get yourself out of here."

"I…I don't think I can." I didn't have time for this. Soon, they'd grow suspicious and we'd too far away from the car for Larius to make his escape.

"You're going to…This is the only way to prove your innocence and for Zane to live. What's my life when compared to two? I might not even be killed. I might make it. But only if you do this. Just don't think about me. Think about your instincts. They're going to tell you to leave and you listen to them. Got it?"

He thought about it; his eyes closed the entire time. But he must have known we didn't have much time either. "Alright….I'll do it."

I nodded my thanks. "Then let's go."

We walked further into the ally. Soon, the temperature reached below zero. I was shivering. The temperature, I later realized was a metaphor for what I was doing. I was walking into my own frozen death.

Sure enough two men appeared when we reached the end. Larius's hand was gripping my arm; he was holding on for dear life. That wasn't the plan though. "Go….Go!"

He threw me away from him. From habit I tried to catch myself and the pain in my right arm seared. I heard the slam of the car door and the banging of one of the men. The other one was on me, lifting me up and holding me back. Every move hurt my mangled body but I tried to fight anyway.

The car started and Larius sped away. Darkness was lining the edge of my vision. I could give up now. Larius would save Zane and Ollie would pay for what he did.

If I died, at least I would know I did good. If I saw my dad again, I could tell him I did the heroic thing. And I let myself pass out knowing that to be true.

()

"Hey Phoenix, wake up." Ollie's voice wasn't the first thing I wanted to hear when I woke up. He didn't give me much of a choice. He kicked me in the side. My eyes flew opened while I gagged. The feeling in my stomach subsided but that was only because my other injuries took away from it.

I was in an empty room. The only thing that filled it was an over-casting shadow and sunshine from the new morning. The hardwood floors did little to sooth my excruciating pain, nor did the white walls help my headache.

Ollie was crouching over me, his hands resting on his knees. "Well good morning sleepy head. Did you sleep well?" I didn't answer him. I just glared him down. He seemed not to care. "You came pretty close to ruining my plan didn't you? Thought maybe you could save your boy?"

"Screw you, Ollie." I managed to say, but at this point even speaking was difficult. I had pushed myself too far. So much so that I didn't fight when Ollie reached out and grabbed a handful of my hair. I only grunted and continued my glare.

"I would speak nicer to the person who holds your life in their hands."

"You kill me….You'll have nothing." I said weakly. It was true. If he killed me, he couldn't make any deals with the police when Larius got them.

But why weren't they here? Larius got away late at night and it was now early evening. Ollie smiled his creepy, gut-turning smile. "Oh you mean when your friend turns me in right? Suddenly I have to scrabble to make deals because your friend left you behind to call the police?"

He threw me to the floor. I screamed when my body hit the hardwood. It felt like my body was breaking—it was always strong but not strong enough to withstand a car, a tussle, and Ollie's abuse. Tears pricked at my eyes and Ollie laughed at me.

"My boys ran your friend off the road last night. It was pretty bad from what I heard." My heart suddenly sank. I refused to believe it at first. If that was true, then Larius probably never made it to the hospital, and no one knew to protect Zane.

"Even if he survived the crash, no one knows where he's at." Ollie confirmed. "He'll die before anyone finds him, and so will Zane. No one's coming to rescue you, Aster. No one...Now if you'll excuse me…"

Ollie was walking out of the room and I almost let him go. That was until all my grief, my sadness, and my pain finally broke through. "Ollie! Just answer me this!"

He turned, eyebrow raised in interest. I reached my hand out and pulled myself forward. "One day Atticus is going to find out. Even if he doesn't, he'll know. And he'll hate you!" My voice ached but I pressed on. "So what will this all be for? Three people dead and the one person you did it for never wants to see you again. Will you be happy then? Is that what you really want?"

Ollie thought about it for maybe a minute and shrugged. "I'm pretty sure he won't find out…After all, two of the three people who knew will be dead and the third well…He'll never be found again."

Ollie crackled like a mad man and slammed the door on me. Once he left, I allowed myself to sob and cry. It made my body hurt, but it was nothing compared to the pain I felt inside. It was done. I didn't save anyone. No one lived, and no one would ever know.

I'm sorry, Larius, I'm sorry Zane…. I'm sorry, dad. I'm not a hero after all.

**Zane's POV**

In this world, there is no life. There is nothing to live or die for. Nothing to do, nothing to care for. This world is dead of all emotion. I'm at peace here. But why am I so miserable.

I can't form a coherent thought. The only things I know are the sounds of people's voices but I don't have any real thoughts about them. That's the closest thing I have to feelings—memories.

Sometimes it feels like I'm sitting in a chair watching a movie. Sometimes, I see myself as a child playing with my younger brother. My favorite part is when we're building a fort together. There's no competition, just two kids laughing and having fun. An older brother teaching his younger brother how to survive in this world. My least favorite; the memory in which I paid off Syrus's bully with a rare card and tore him apart. He's ashamed that he let me down. I should have never done it.

Then I see my duel academy days. There I meet Atticus for the first time and soon we become best friends. I was too busy to ever consider making him my boyfriend. He understood it. It didn't stop us from occasionally kissing or talking about how we felt; we just knew better then.

Next, Atticus is gone; disappeared from the face of the earth as it seemed. I felt horrible regret then. Why hadn't I told him how I felt while he is here? I promise myself to take care of his sister. I think of her as my own flesh and blood. I did what Atticus couldn't do for her. Then Atticus comes back; it's nothing short of a miracle. I graduate without him, but promise him I'll be back.

My first duel in the pro leagues. They give me Aster Phoenix. I have a run in with what is known as a demon. Aster is relentless towards me. He crushes me and laughs at me like the weakling I am. I see the demon once more; it was him all along. This demon haunts me until I am nothing but a shattered man. I lose sponsorships and I'm left alone.

Skip forward to when I'm Hell Kaiser. I've become a monster. I hate everybody. Atticus tricks me into dueling him; something about leaving the darkness together. I make him see why no one challenges Hell Kaiser to a duel. I break him of his evil but continue to revel in mine. Syrus challenges me next; I teach him a lesson, just like I did when we were kids. Only this lesson is more cruel—don't try and save me, your brother's already dead.

I leave duel academy island—at home I start feeling chest pains and go to the doctor. There, I receive devastating news—my heart has been damaged. I'll need to take pills for the rest of my life. I should never duel again or else it could kill me. I choose death.

Jaden needs me. I go to the other realm with Aster of all people. I still hate him at this point. Somehow we manage to work well together—we even become friends. I discover that Aster's anger stems from a deranged sense of justice. He wants to be a hero, but he's only a mortal. I start developing an attraction towards him, but remind myself that he's just a kid. A kid who wants nothing to do with me.

I've returned to the real world. This time I choose to live, but only to the fullest. I make myself well enough to duel again and I give up being Hell Kaiser. During this time, I take Atticus and Alexis into my apartment until they jump start their careers. One night while Alexis is out, Atticus kisses me. Another night, we make love. When Alexis leaves and Atticus stays. For the first time in a long time, I'm happy. But nothing good ever lasts— I can barely stand to be near him half the time. When I sleep, I remember hurting him as Hell Kaiser, when I'm awake; I'm haunted by the nightmares. Atticus slips out of my grasp. He has an affair and everything is over. Once again, I'm alone and I'm miserable.

A year of my life passes by me. I manage to get through the heartbreak but my life is still missing something. Then one night, I come across Aster Phoenix once more. He appears depressed and it makes me curious. My attraction for him is ignited once more. An amazing thing happens, he likes me too. We spend more time together and become friends. Then he awkwardly tries to seduce me. It is that attempt that makes me realize that I've fallen in love with him. I become happy again.

I can't bare to watch anymore. It all leads to the same ending. Aster is hit by a car, and my world is engulfed in this darkness. Instead I replay what I can handle watching and analyze my life. I wonder if this is retribution for all the bad things I've done in my life. What about the good? Does that matter at all? If this whole thing was built to torture me, I could take it. But why drag Aster down too? What did he do to deserve to be struck down? That is not righteous justice; that is simply inhumane.

Then suddenly, something breaks through my barrier. _You what are you doing? Get away from him!_

I'm surprised. Until this point, everything had been mumbles and slurs. That was the first time I could hear anyone talking. _What did you put in his IV?_

_Nothing. _It's getting louder. Not just that, it's clearer too.

_Get away from him! _ I realize who this voice belongs to. It's Sartorius. A flash of memories play in front of me. We're not friends, but it sounds like he's defending me.

Everything is silent again. This doesn't seem right. I want to hear the voices again. Say something, anything! Just don't leave me alone in the darkness. _"What's going on?" "That man put something in his IV!" "That's rid-" "I saw him do it!" "His heart is racing! We need a doctor!"_

I hear beeps going off. The heart machines, it must have been. Am I dying?

They put me in a coma. I remember that now. My heart needed time to heal. The pain would be too much. I didn't get to choose, they decided for me. That's why I can't feel what's happening. I needed to take control of this. I can't let myself die.

_"Who sent you?" _Sartorius yelled.

_"Get a __difibulator__! We may have to shock him."_

_"No one sent me. I didn't do anything to him."_

_"His heart is giving out! Tell me who sent you!"_

_"We're losing him."_

Stop…

_"You're being crazy, no one sent me."_

_"The counter agent isn't working!"_

_"Tell me who sent you or I'll see that you're charged with murder."_

Stop.

_"Open his shirt up, we have to shock him!"_

_"No one…."_

_"Tell me who!"_

Stop!

_"1, 2…"_

_"It was Ollie….Ollie Duncan."_

STOP!

My eyes flew open. The doctor stopped just before his panels hit my bare skin. "My god…" The doctor breathed.

"His heart-rate is going down." A nurse said near by. The beeps I heard during my coma were now slowing down. "The counter agents working!"

"Zane, can you hear me?" The doctor asked me. He shined a light into my eyes. The light was blinding at first but seemed better than the dark hell I just came from. "Follow the light with your eyes and tell me everything you can about yourself."

I had to process it for a minute. It was hard to concentrate on two things at a time, but I was able to do it. "My name is Zane Truesdale. I was born…sometime in March…The 22nd, I think. I'm 21 years old and both my parents are still alive. I have a brother too. His name starts with an S...Simon, Seymour…Syrus! His name is Syrus."

The doctor nodded his approval. "Do you know where you are and why you're here?"

"I'm at a hospital." The more I talked, the easier it came. This must have been why the doctor had asked me these questions. "I'm here because…I had a heart attack; no…It was an aneurysm!"

"Very good…" He said. The beeps didn't slow down anymore. They jumped at a perfectly normal rate. "Somebody call security and have this man escorted."

Sartorius was holding a man, dressed as an orderly, by the collar. The man that Ollie had hired to kill me.

My mind seemed to set off alarms at the mention of that name. It was warning me about something. Something I couldn't quite…

Then I remembered. Just like I did in the coma. The memories sprung on me, and my heart was filled with panic. Ollie had been responsible for Aster getting hit.

Aster….He wasn't here, was he still alive. I'd have to wait to find that out.

"Sartorius!" I said urgently. The older man turned his attention to me. "It was Ollie—Ollie arranged for the car to hit Aster. H…He knew it'd make my heart give out. You have to get him before he hurts Aster anymore!"

Sartorius grimly nodded and dragged his prisoner off with him. "Let's just hope it's not too late…"

He left before I could ask him what he meant. My mind was still behind and all this stress was making it worse. I lay back in my bed; pushing off the helpless feeling I felt.

I could have died. If Sartorius hadn't walked in—I would have been stuck in that darkness, perhaps without the memories to keep me company.

I moved on my side and was surprised to find a bag on my end table. At first glance, it seemed like pieces to a child's toy. But when I looked closer I realized it was the pocket watch I had given Aster. It was in shambles. I reached for the bag and brought it close so I could see it clearly. It must have been broke when he got hit by the car. But how why wasn't it with him?

"Zane?" A strained voice asked. I looked up to see Atticus. His face was tear stained as he walked towards me. "Sartorius caught just before I walked into the room. He said that someone was going to try and kill you…"

"Atti?" I asked, afraid that he was going to meltdown in front of me. He knelt down by the bed and took my hand.

"He said…He said Ollie hired someone to kill you, and that he had someone hit Aster too! Is that true?" I couldn't bare to look at his face. More tears were falling from his eyes.

"Yeah, he did…" I told him. I didn't think about how much that confession might hurt him. All I could concentrate on was telling the truth.

Atticus choked on a sob. He reached out to hug me. "I'm sorry, Zane! I'm so sorry…I didn't know he would do this."

At first, I felt weird. Not so much because Atticus hugged me, but because it had been so long since I had been hugged. I just wrapped my arms around him and held on—it did make the helpless feeling go away a little.

"Atti, stay with me." I borderline begged. This was nothing like holding Aster, and I didn't intend for it to be. I just needed the comfort of a friend right now. Someone familiar until I was up to speed and Aster was returned to me.

"How could you even look at me after…?"

"Shh!" I said uncharacteristically. "Just keep me company, please."

He nodded against me and pulled away. His hand was still in mine as we waited. My mind didn't require much thinking. There was only one thing on my mind.

How long until Aster was safe again?


	15. Dead End

Fun and Games

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Yu-gi-oh gx; I do own my own characters though.

Summery: It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. After a strange moment with Sartorius, Aster sees a side of Zane he's never seen before

Chapter 14: Dead End

**Aster's POV**

I was woken up yet again by the sound of Ollie's voice. Only this time he wasn't in the room with me, and he wasn't alone.

I could hear shouting outside the door. I slowly crawled closer to door; needing to hear what they were saying. Even if it turned out to be nothing but false hope; I had nothing else to hold on to.

I got halfway to the door when I was able to hear them clearly enough. "How many are outside?"

"3, maybe 4." I heard Shroud said. Had he been here the whole time? Or did he come while I was passed out. "It's over Ollie; we lost."

"No! You've lost! I'm not giving up!"

"Look around you dumbass! The cops are surrounding us and we have that kid here! We have to use him to get a deal. Tell them we'll return him unharmed if they promise not to shoot at us."

My heart fluttered. I was stuck somewhere between laughing and crying. Larius had succeeded somehow—I was saved. This was nothing short of a miracle.

"No, how about you go on ahead outside you coward!" I heard the cock of a gun and froze.

"Jesus…" Shroud said breathless. I heard the sound of loud running noises. They were soon replaced by the quick steps of what I assumed to be Ollie, carrying a bag full of insanity as usual.

Sure enough, when the door swung open, he looked down at me like a starving lion who had found a roaming sheep. In his hand, a gun hanged loosely from his grip. He looked like an ax murder, smiling at his new victim. I tried to crawl away but he crossed the floor. He grabbed my leg and pulled me back to him. "Oh don't worry, Phoenix… I'm not going to kill you yet. Not if I can help it." He said it like he couldn't guarantee I'd come out of this alive. I was afraid of what he meant by that. "This little thing is just insurance. You're going to help me escape this little mess."

"Like hell I am!" I said, suddenly feeling very brave. I'd rather die than help Ollie escape. He laughed and reached for my arm, pulling me up next to him. I yelped and cried out in pain but he didn't seem to care.

"Cute, really it is. But I'm not giving you a choice." I tried to pull away from him. Maybe if I was completely well, I could have won. Ollie was skinny and thin enough. But in my current condition, it was astounding that I could walk, let alone fight off a deranged mad man. He dragged me down the stairs. Siren lights flashed through the window on the door. Shroud was telling the truth; the police were here.

Ollie stared at the door; I saw the desperation in his eyes. For once he was frightened, and it made me feel great. I _loved_ that he was scared. I wanted him to know what it was like to stare death in the face. Then maybe he'd understand what he had put us through.

"I'm going to loose Atticus." He said. "All this was for nothing; just like you said it was."

He looked at me and smiled once again. It would become the smile that would haunt my dreams for years to come. The grueling look of a rabid animal looking for a way out of being euthanized. "But you see, at least I won't be going out alone. I won't let that basturd win. Even if I have to kill us both to do it. At least then it'd be a draw."

It wouldn't be a draw. Not to Zane anyway, if Larius had in fact reached him in time. If I died, I knew what it'd do to him. The thought of me being hit was enough to make Zane's heart go out. Could he survive if I didn't? I had to believe he would, the alternative was too harsh to think of.

Ollie pulled me right in front of him and put the fun to my temple. He leaned forward and whispered in my ear. "Show time."

He kicked the door open and forced me to move outside. I move nervously so I wouldn't set the gun off. It was the only thing I could do to ensure I'd stay alive. "I've got Aster Phoenix here! And if anyone does anything stupid, I'll shoot!"

"Don't do this Duncan! You'll ruin any chances you have of bargaining. You can serve out your time and live a full life."

"Are you serious?" Ollie yelled, my years ringing from the high volume. "This is all I've got left. I have nothing to loose. Are you going to deny your generation the great Aster Phoenix?...If you want him alive, you'll let me and buddy here get in a car and stay away from us."

He squeezed my shoulder and continued. "And if anyone tries to be a hero, well you'll have a stars death on you conscious."

This was it. I couldn't let him get away. Even if I died in the process, what did it matter? Ollie needed to pay. My whole life would amount to nothing if Ollie didn't get justice for what he did to everyone. Zane, Larius, and myself. I needed to do this; even if I pulled the trigger on myself.

"Shoot him!" I yelled, pushing against his arm. He fought to keep me close to him. "Just take him out, don't worry about me!"

"That won't be necessary." Sartorius and Sirena pushed their way through the police and walked out towards us. Ollie pointed the gun towards them.

"Stay back!" He warned. They stopped half way to him. Sartorius laughed a laugh I hadn't heard since he was taken over by the Light.

"Now Mr. Duncan, there's no reason for any of this. My sister doesn't want to use force with you but if it comes down to it…"

"You expect me to believe that she can stop me?" Ollie finger trembled against the trigger. I tried to fight away again but it was no use.

"Sirena, don't!"

"Let's see her, stop a bullet!" He fired the gun. The bang causing me to go deaf; or so I thought. It wasn't until the bullet was suspended, stopped only feet away from Sirena did I truly understand what was going on.

A shield cascaded over her and the bullet was deflected. It fell away and landed on the ground like swatted fly. My hearing came back after her force field came down. Ollie was shaking in disbelief.

"How…" That's when rational thought ended for Ollie. He pointed the gun back to me and began screaming. "Stay back! I'll kill him."

"Then you've made your choice." Sirena said swinging her hands up and down in one swift motion. "Endure the hell that you've forced others to live!"

The shaking stopped suddenly. Instead, Ollie was still, as stone as a statue it felt like. The gun dropped from his hands. When it was away from him I managed to pull myself free, falling down on the concrete in front of me.

I turned to see Ollie, wide-eyes filled with horror and skin paling like a dead man. I had never seen Sirena perform such a power over someone before. But it was an awesome yet terrible thing to see. Even after all Ollie had done; I didn't want to see this done to him.

He got down on his knees, his hands grasping on to his head. I crawled away as fast as I could. "Make it stop!"

Sartorius ran over and draped an arm around me. "Aster, are you okay?"

Sirena was behind him, taking my hands into hers. The same hands who had just cursed Ollie were comforting my own. "No." I said, sighing in relief. I was safe for now. But far from okay. I watched out of the corner of my eye as the police handcuffed Ollie. He screamed profanities and jerked his body unnaturally. "Sirena, what did you do to him?"

She watched Ollie with the same horror that I did. "It's a mind melt. It makes it so anyone it affects can see, feel, and live through the pain they've caused people in their life time. I don't like using it because…it takes a long time to ware off, but I had no choice."

Ollie was forced into the back of a car. He still moved like he was a processed being. I felt a little sorry for him and realized there was no way they'd send him to prison like this. But maybe that was just punishment—this was probably worse than any prison or jail.

"You did what you had to." I hugged the both of them and again started to cry. This felt right to me. Being embraced by my friends—my siblings if you would. "I'm so sorry… I've treated you both terribly, and if wasn't for you both, I'd be dead."

"It's okay…" Sartorius said, hugging me tightly and afraid to let go. "We've been less than fair ourselves. We're just glad you're alive and…. That we'll have time to fix this."

My head was spinning. I leaned against his shoulder in which to let it pass by. I wasn't going to pass out again, not yet anyway. But I needed rest and I needed it soon. "Let's get him back to the hospital." Sirena suggested. Sartorius lifted me into his arms and carried me into his car. My head lay on Sirena's lap as we pulled away from the scene. A thought hit me as we pulled away.

"Is Larius okay?" I asked quietly. Sirena's hand moved a lock of hair away from my face. "Ollie told me…"

"He'll be okay." Sartorius assured me. He seemed somewhat pleased that I had asked about him to begin with. "An odd thing happened. I was able to hear his thoughts very early this morning and we were able to find him and his car. Unfortunately, there's no hope for his vehicle, but with some time to heal, he'll be just fine. "

"We've….volunteered to take care of him." Sirena said shyly. I was relieved to hear this, more than I expected to be. Perhaps over the course of our adventure, I had learned to care for him more than I had really ever planned to.

"Good," I said quietly. "I'm glad to hear it." Both Sirena and Sartorius seemed genuinely surprised by my admission. In the mirror, I was sure I saw Sartorius smile. My heart warmed for a moment. Then a terrible thought hit my mind. The one I had been pushing back for too long now. "Is Zane…is he still alive?"

I was relieved when the smile didn't leave his face. "When I was reading Larius's thoughts, he was thinking about how to stop Zane's killer. I'm afraid I was too late to stop Ollie's assassin from administering the drug, but the doctors were able to inject him with a counter agent and he awoke from his coma. It's going to be a rough road but it sounds like he's going to make it through."

I felt like I was reborn again. Hearing that news took the entire pain and trauma away if only temporarily. A huge wave of relief hit me and I realized that it was all finally over. Nothing was going to stop me from being with Zane.

Nothing except ourselves.

**Zane's POV**

I put down the paper with Ollie's mug shot on the front. _**Dueling Controversy Revealed! What really happened to Aster Phoenix? **_I read about how Ollie had held Aster at gunpoint and was about to make a big escape when Aster's manager, Sartorius, and his younger sister, Sirena stopped them using strange and unusual means. Ollie was likely not going to prison, but had a room waiting for him at an English mental hospital near where his parents lived. All this figured out in one night; I wasn't completely satisfied with the outcome (frankly, I would have preferred Ollie's head brought to me on a silver platter), but I accepted it. As long as he was away from Aster, Atticus, and me; I was happy.

"I knew that Ollie guy was a psycho." My brother's boyfriend, Chazz insisted. Syrus rolled his eyes. "I could have told you losers this stuff a long, long time ago."

"Well thanks for holding out on us." I joked, leaning back on my bed. Chazz just huffed and sat down next to Syrus.

"So how long before they let you out?" Syrus asked, stroking Chazz's hand. It made me miss Aster; like almost everything did. But after everything he had gone through yesterday, I didn't pursue a visit with him; I gave him time to rest and heal.

"They say I have to stay for another week or two, but I should be fine after that. I'm going to have to take a few more pills but… I guess I can live with that." It was then that the door opened. Sirena peered her head around and smiled gently. I'd be lying if I said we were comfortable with each other or even friendly with one another. But for the moment, we silently agreed to co-exist at least until everything was settled.

"Sorry to interrupt, but Aster was wondering if you were up for a visit." I leaned forward, growing excited at the possibility. My heart monitor sped up a bit. Syrus laughed.

"I think that's a yes, just let us get out of the way…Lets go, Chazz." My heart set itself back to normal and Syrus hugged me tightly. Chazz offered me a nod and they walked past Sirena. "We'll see you both later."

"Bye Syrus…" Sirena responded. After they left, she glanced back to me. "I'll go tell him. He's visiting with Larius."

"Sirena, hold on!" She stopped and looked back at me. The words were formed in my mind, but I found it difficult to speak them. Finally I just got them out without completely reflecting on them.

"Thank you for everything you and your brother did….I'm sorry that I was ever mean to you." She smiled gently and opened the door.

"It's alright, I suppose there's enough blame to go around. I'm sorry I called you an egotistical maniac."

I raised an eyebrow. "When did you call me that?"

She walked out and slammed the door. I sighed. All well, I guess I'll forgive her for that too. After all, I meant what I said. I did owe her and Sartorius for what they did, even if it wasn't for my benefit.

I just couldn't figure out why Aster would visit Larius. There must have been something there I missed. But I'd get the chance to ask him soon; I was giddy with anticipation.

After all, it had been four days since I laid eyes on my young boyfriend. That in itself seemed to short. I wasn't sure if that was become I had been seeing Aster consistently for awhile now or if the coma had made it seemed longer than it actually was.

Whatever it may have been. When he entered the room, I was as happy as I could be.

He was sitting completely still in a wheelchair. I had to say; I expected worse. His face was bruised in a few places, and his eyes had bags underneath them. I noticed that his posture wasn't exactly natural but was probably more comfortable for him. His smile was still beautiful.

"Hey there." I said, smiling back gently. "Aren't you a sight to see for a man with a broken heart…"

Aster laughed and rolled himself closer. "You aren't bad yourself."

"Yeah right, you haven't seen my chest yet." Thanks to my life-saving surgery, I now had a zipper like wound going down my chest and stopping just above my stomach. I wasn't self-conscious about it; but I was concerned with how Aster would handle it.

He shrugged. "I'll take you as your are. It's amazing that we're both still alive." He looked down to the floor. He was hiding his sorrow from me. "I was terrified that I'd never see you again…"

He wiped his eyes and snorted. "Great, like I haven't cried enough…."

I felt terrible that he felt like this. I reached for his hand and clutched it between my own. "Hey, it's okay… It's going to take a hell of a lot to kill us than Ollie."

He shook his head and grinned again. "I know, and I should be happy enough that we made it but… It still hurts to think about. I guess that will just pass with time."

An idea popped up in my head. "Think you could get up in my bed?" Aster looked at me with wide-eyes. He wanted to, but was worried.

"Won't it hurt you?"

"Not if you're careful….Here, I'll help you out." I tightened my hold on my hand and helped him up. He grunted and whined. I almost gave up on the whole idea, but he gently lifted his leg and hoisted himself up. I moved over to my side and let him let him lay on his back. He sighed a breath of relief when we were both relaxed. "Comfortable?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Never better." I wrapped an arm around him and gently nuzzled his neck. I missed how nice his skin smelled and how soft it was. I kissed his neck and didn't stop. The pain of how I'd almost lost him and this struck me worse than any aneurysm could. I needed him. Simple as that.

"Zane…" I heard him say in a half-moan. I rested my chin on his shoulder.

"Yes?"

"Stop doing that and kiss me on the lips."

I laughed and cupped his face. "I can do that."

I kissed him softer and more passionately than I've ever kissed another person. I wanted him to know just how much my life would have sucked if he had died. How much I hated the dark world of regret that I had live in my coma. What mattered was here and now. And right now, I was happy to be back in his arms where I belonged.

And guessing by his kiss, I'm sure he agreed.

**Note- **Final chapter is almost written! Will be pretty sappy but should make for a nice ending. I've also started on a sequel. Next chapter should be out tonight but if not, should be out by Wednesday (heading out of town). Thanks!


	16. Two Weeks Later

Fun and Games

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Yu-gi-oh gx; I do own my own characters though.

Summery: It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. After a strange moment with Sartorius, Aster sees a side of Zane he's never seen before

Chapter 14: Two Weeks Later

**Zane's POV**

It was Friday when they told me I could go home. Aster was coming to pick me up with a driver, saying that he had a surprise for me. He didn't what it was exactly, just that I should have someone bring me overnight clothes. I'm sure the doctors didn't approve of the sounds of that.

The news was playing on the T.V.; Shroud had pleaded guilty for hit and run and was going to serve a two year sentence. Plus, they expected him to agree on a 10 year term for attempted murder. 13 years in prison with the possibility of parole, so how it didn't seem like enough. But I didn't argue it; I doubted any court system would let him out before his term was served.

Ollie on the other hand was still on trial. It was one argument after another really. Whether he should be tried here in Japan or in England, his home country. Whether he was insane before or after he committed his crimes. Whether he was guilty of kidnapping, attempted murder, assault, or all of the above. The only thing that seemed sure was that Ollie would spend some quality time seeking mental medical attention. After Aster explained what Sirena had done to him, I accepted it as a fair punishment.

It showed a clip from yesterday's news story. Larius and Aster were on T.V., holding a press conference to clear things up about the 'jealous lovers' scandal. It seemed rather odd how chummy they were now.

"I do want offer my apologies to any media damage Larius Jables and my dearest friend Sartorius may have suffered for this." He leaned on his crutches as he spoke to Larius. Unfortunately, Larius had suffered a broken arm and had stitches implanted on his forehead, which would leave a gnarly scar. Compared to the alternative, I think he considered himself lucky. "At first I'm blamed him for the actions of his father, but if hadn't been for Larius, we may never been able to bring the true criminal to justice. In fact neither I nor would Zane Truesdale would be alive right now. For that, I consider him a true and honorable friend."

Larius mouthed a thank you to him and Aster gently leaned down to hug him. The crowd erupted into a roar of questions. Aster took them one by one.

"So Sartorius will continue to be your manager then?"

"Yes, sadly I won't be able to finish out this dueling season, but next year I plan to be back stronger then ever with Sartorius, and Larius acting as my new assistant manager." He answered, pointing to another reporter.

"How do you respond to rumors that you and Mr. Zane Truesdale are now a couple?" I paused when I heard that question. Aster didn't tell me they had asked about that. Maybe because he didn't want them to know. I expected him to try and suppress the rumors as much as possible until they were under control, and maybe then come out with the truth.

But sometimes Aster could be plain unexpected.

"I say…Well, they're true. I'm currently in a relationship with Zane Truesdale." The reporters were more excited by that report than anything else he had said. Aster stood with a cocky grin and I realized that the grin was for me. _Wasn't expecting that, were you?_ I could imagine him asking. No, No I wasn't. "Zane and I have been dating for over a month now and are quite happy together."

"That's all, I'll be saying." Aster walked away, doing that simple little wave that was as powerful and commanding as a Caesars thumb. I was impressed, truly I was. I had always been upfront and honest about my sexual orientation, Aster for whatever reason had always been a little more conscious about it. To hear him finally tell the world that yes, he loved another man; it made me proud that he was able to break the barriers of his own mind.

"Not bad, eh?" I turned and Aster was standing in the doorway. Weight balanced mostly on his crutches. I noticed a backpack was hanging off his left shoulder. He guided across the room to me.

"Surprising, to say the least." I kissed his cheek and smiled. "I'm almost done; I just need to get my pills around."

"Take you're time. I actually came early to tell you that I figured it out."

"Figured what out?"

Aster released me. I got my pill bottles out while he explained. "Remember how I told you that Sirena prophesied everything that would happen and said that if I made love to you Sunday night it'd happen? So I did my best to avoid it?"

I rolled my eyes; remembering just how frisky I was that night. "Don't remind me."

He smirked. "Really? You were that offended? Well I'm sorry to say that it was for complete nothing, because by the time we actually made love for the first time, it was after midnight Saturday. I just wasn't paying attention to time."

"So, if we never had sex at all, this whole thing could have been avoided?" I asked. This time, he was the one who looked offended. I knew on the inside, he found it all humorous—he did now anyway.

"Well, technically speaking, no. Sirena said not to bother with fighting fate because if it's meant to be, it will happen anyway. Although….I don't really believe that completely. There are ways we could have avoided Ollie's wrath but abstinence was not one of them."

Aster watched as I separated the pills into their proper containers. "I should get one of those. It's always so hard to keep track of my pain and anxiety pills." I turned around and stared at him. Anxiety? He looked as if he had let an embarrassing secret slip. "Opps, I guess the cats out of the bag."

"You're taking anxiety pills?" I asked my voice heavy with concern. "Since when?"

"Since…" He began and stopped, wondering if he should continue. It was too late now; he had to tell me. "Since I started having nightmares."

I was afraid that might happen. Like I did when Atticus and I were dating and I thought about being Hell Kaiser. I was afraid I would never sleep again thanks to everything Ollie put me through. But I didn't dream at all, I just slept embracing the temporary darkness provided that it was so. I never once considered that Aster would be the one suffering from nightmares.

He frowned, his confident shell pushed away. "Zane, its okay… They'll pass eventually; I just need to get through it for a little while."

I sighed and continued my separating, but my joyous mood was broken. "How bad are the dreams?"

"Well…without the pills, it's…pretty bad. I can hardly sleep." Aster explained in the gentlest way possible. "With them, it's not so bad. Sometimes I don't dream at all, other times, I still have the nightmares but it's like… I'm calm. I can handle it. It will pass…"

"I know it will, hero, it's just…" I closed the pill container and the bottles of pills and put it into my bag. "It's just like how you felt when you saw my heart medication for the first time. It's shocking, hard to grasp and …. It makes me feel guilty, if it wasn't for me, it never would have happened."

"You told me that we made our own choices and decisions." Aster spoke with a stern voice. The defiant boy I fell in love with showing himself. "I choose to go after Ollie, and I choose to be with you. And I'd take the nightmares, the injuries, everything all over again to be with you. I love you..."

"And…it's not like I'll be on them forever." He said softly. "I'm already reducing my dose of pain medicine, and when the nightmares stop, I'll get off the anxiety pills too….You're the one who has to take more heart medicine."

I was tired of this sadness. We had both had gone through so much of it that I honestly was growing weary of it. Screw the pills; we're young, alive, and we have each other. "Well, who knows? Maybe one day, I'll be able to reduce my dose too. I'll probably never be able to stop taking them completely but, if I lost a couple, that'd be great."

I zipped up my bag and threw it over my shoulder. His smile returned slowly. "All packed?"

"Yeah, let's get out of here."

()

Aster never exactly told me where we were going, but about half way there; I realized that we had gone this way before. I couldn't quite remember when, but we did. We didn't talk very much along the way. Aster had made himself comfortable on my shoulder and the driver was in the front solely focused on driving. It gave me a lot of time to admire the scenery outside.

When I saw a grass meadow leading up to a lake, I realized why Aster had brought us out here. This was where we came on his birthday, the lake his dad use to take him to.

He perked up when he noticed my amazement. "Seems like so long since we've been here huh? Even though it's only been about a month."

It did. The memory of that day seemed like a fuzzy memory to me. Yet I remembered how beautiful the day had been, and despite the sober mood, how close we had become that day. "This is a nice surprise…but why do I needed an overnight bag?"

His lips tugged upward in a secretive way. "You'll see."

The driver made a curvy turn around the lake and to the other side where we hadn't ventured. We stopped in front of a thin, narrow path leading into the woods. I helped Aster out of the car. I took both my bag and his backpack. For once, he didn't seem to argue it, since he had the crutches.

"Thank you for driving out here." Aster told the driver. He nodded politely.

"Shall I return about noon Sunday?" I raised an eyebrow, noon Sunday? That was the entire weekend.

"Yes, that will be fine, thanks." Aster pulled out his wallet and handed the driver a wad of money. The driver tucked it into his coat and returned to his car. We watched him drive off before Aster led me away. "Come on, you'll have to follow me."

The walk, as it turned out, wasn't very long at all. We made it past the clearing when I saw it; a rather homely cabin. Aster had rented this place? "Nice cabin." I said simply.

"You don't sound so impressed." He joked lightly. "Don't diss my cabin! I think it's quite cozy."

"You're cabin."

"Yeah, I bought it." He pulled out the key and limped over to the front door. He unlocked opened the door and stepped aside to let me go in first. "I figured it'd be nice to have a little vacation spot to go to."

I walked in the front door and was honestly surprised. The cabin had a nice screen t.v. and two leather couches. In front of the couches was a glass coffee table. The kitchen was remodeled and modern looking from where I could see. I noticed the walls were painted recently painted blue, giving the room a calming feel to it. There were three doors to the second half of the house. Two assumedly bed rooms and perhaps a dining area.

The cabin was actually looked really new. "I had to do a bit redecorating but it all came together well. I was almost afraid it wouldn't be done before you got out of the hospital. Do you like it?"

I nodded slowly. "I guess you didn't like the color they had before."

He stilled for a moment, and then proceeded to lock the door. "It was white…Ollie kept me in a white room and it just reminded me too much of that."

Guilt overcame me once more, but Aster smiled gently. "The blue looked better anyway... Put the bags down and sit down, I'll make us a couple drinks."

I let the bags fall to the floor and made myself comfortable. After the initial tension-filled moment, everything seemed relaxed and calm. Maybe the cabin was a good idea—he gave him something to do while he recovered and it was nice to have someplace private to go to. I too off my shoes and laid my feet up on the couch.

He limped out (this time, without his crutches) with wine glasses in his hand. One with red liquid, the other with orange. He handed the one with red liquid to me, and eased himself on to my lap. When the smell hit me, I realized it was red wine.

"The doctor said it's okay for you to drink wine as long as you only have a glass or two." He explained. I wrapped a free arm around him and took a sip. It was sweet and tangy as it drifted down my throat.

"Why aren't you drinking any?" I asked. He took a sip of what I assumed to be orange juice.

"I can't with the medication I'm on." Aster set his wine glass down on the table. I followed suit. "And the last time I drank wine with you, you got me so drunk I threw up on your bathroom floor."

I laughed at the memory fondly. "That wasn't nearly as annoying as you not remembering where you lived. And don't even get me started on the kiss."

He looked at me interested. "What about the kiss?"

I think he was expecting me to say it wasn't good. If only he truly remembered it, he'd know better. "It was a tease…I was going to kiss you again, but you fell asleep. I must have been a boring kisser."

"Are you kidding? The next time you kissed me I was over-whelmed. I'm pretty sure it was all effects of the alcohol."

"You're just a light-weight drinker."

"You know…" He leaned closer to me, his arms around my shoulders as he pulled himself closer. "As embarrassing and screwed up that night was…It did bring me to you."

"So, no regrets?" I asked curiously. He kissed me gently on the lips.

"Maybe that I wasn't sober for our first kiss."

He kissed me again, and I held him closer. Bringing him completely on top of me. "What about my poor bathroom rug?"

"You deserved it…That's what you get for getting me drunk to satisfy your own curiosity." I licked my tongue over his lip to encourage him to open his mouth. He moan softly and gave me entrance. I explored his mouth eagerly, feeling a rush of adrenaline spike through me. I needed this boy, and I needed him now.

He pulled away. "Are you sure it's safe to do this? What about you're heart?"

I reached up his shirt and grazed his chest with my fingers. "That doctor can tell me not to do a lot of things, but telling me not to make love to you is a tragedy in itself." He giggled at what I said. I brushed myself against him. I felt him shiver against me. "I swear to god, Aster, I'll have a heart attack if you _don't_ make love to me."

"Well…" He started, but I cut him off with a long, intoxicating kiss. That was he needed. "We're not going to do anything rough….In fact, we'll have to be as gentle as we can be. I'm still hurting too, you know."

"Deal." And I gathered him into my arms and carried him off into our bedroom.

**Aster's POV**

"Wow…" That was all I could say as I laid beside him breathless. He laughed at my reaction. I worried about his heart, because mine was racing. But he seemed perfectly fine. Actually, he seemed great.

"Wow indeed."He rolled on to his side and watched as I tried to catch up with my body's vitals.

"I guess you don't get bored working with someone as inexperienced as me?"

"Not all." He sat up onto his forearms, running one hand through his sweaty hair. "In fact, I find your innocence to be endearing—it's like we're always making love for the first time."

"And you like that?" I asked, watching him with a careful gaze.

"I love it….You enjoy it too, don't you?"

I snorted and sat up as well. "Doesn't 'wow' give it away? You have this weird habit of blowing my mind."

"The feelings mutual." He said, wrapping an arm around me and bringing me closer to him. I fit into his arms like a puzzle piece and sighed contently. So this was what I was missing out on all those years? Maybe all that time made this moment special.

I had a greater feeling that it was the man who was holding me that made it so. In any case, it felt great just be to be alone with him. Not a care in the world, not a person to break it up.

"So…" He said slowly, gently lifting my hand into his. "When are you going to move into your apartment?...I hope you're not in any hurry; I still have a lot of catching up to do."

I pondered it for a moment; trying to decide if now was the time to tell him or if I should surprise him with it later? For whatever reason, this moment seemed better than any other one. "Actually, I took the deposit off the apartment."

He leaned over to look at me. "Why? I thought you really liked it." He thought it had something to do with my dad's memories, and maybe part of it did. But that wasn't the reason I did it.

"I did, and I'm glad you suggested but…I was thinking that we're both going to need a lot of care for awhile and…well, if the offer's still available…" I paused, giving myself one last chance to take it back. I guess it wasn't like I was marrying Zane or anything. I could still do the things I want to on my own while remaining close to the one that I loved. "I was hoping maybe I could move in with you."

His eyes narrowed in shock; his aura taking on a nervous energy. This confused me—and he caught that. "Of course it's still available; I'd love for you to move in. I just… Thought you weren't ready for that yet."

"Well, I wasn't when you first offered but after Ollie tried to kill us, I kind of realized how short life is." I leaned back against the headboard of the bed. I was beginning to realize the truth in my words, which had all been just reasons before. "And once you face death, you're pretty much ready for anything."

Without warning, Zane pulled me to him and embraced me. For a minute, I didn't react. Then I wrapped my arms around him. Finally able to accept that everyday would be like this. At least it could be.

I acknowledged a long time ago that happy ever after didn't exist. There was no such thing as living an uncomplicated life because it was the complicated things that made it worth living. Being so close to death made me realize that you earned your living facing the challenges head on and if you were meant to survive, you would.

That's how this relationship would work. Zane and I will face great challenges and if we were meant to last, we would. If not, we'd get by without one another the best way we knew how. We weren't quitters, and we certainly weren't prey.

But until the next challenge came; I was happy to be in his arms. To know that at least for this moment, I belonged to him.

I was happy to know, that we had won the game.

And that's the end! Again, I'd like to thank all the readers, reviewers, and supporters for their unending patience and love for this story. And I hope that the sequel (to be named Give and Receive) will reach your expectations.


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